


Deadly

by lordelannette



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Blantant Rip-Off of "Would You Rather", Blood and Gore, Difficult Decisions, Drowning, Electrocution, F/M, Family, Malfoy's Are Rich As Fuck, Murder, Psychological Torture, Scorpius is a Baby, Stabbing, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-13
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-06-09 18:15:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 32,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15273408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lordelannette/pseuds/lordelannette
Summary: The beauty behind killing someone is that you throw people out of their comfort zone. You get to see them in their truest state, their raw core stripped and leaving them grasping at their sanity as it bleeds through their fingers. Why stop at one victim when you could have several? "Would You Rather?"





	1. Chapter 1

The morning sunlight poured through the open curtain, lighting up the enormous master bedroom. It was enough for Draco to wake up, which he had been for a few minutes now, but it wasn't until he felt his wife's soft caresses on his lower back that he opened his eyes. He lifted his head up off of her lace covered breast to meet her gaze-his icy blue smoldering into her honey iris'.

She was always a sight to see in the morning with her chestnut curls sprawled aimlessly across their pillows like a halo to signify that God himself had sent her down to earth for his enjoyment only. She was a goddess in his opinion, and the one and only person that he had ever truly loved. Sometimes he felt as if he didn't deserve her, which he probably didn't, because he was an arrogant ass that enjoyed using his wealth and power over others. She on the other hand was kind, and compassionate, and he had no idea what she was doing with him. They were total opposites, but they were inseparable.

They had been married now for three years, but they had known each other since birth. Their father's had been close friends so it was only natural that the two had done the same. But with every occasion that they saw each other, their feelings for each other had grown stronger and stronger until they had started dating at the early age of sixteen. And now here they were, happily married with a six month old son in the next room over. They may be parents now but they were still heavily embedded in the honeymoon stage that never seemed to die between the two. It was almost as if it were the opposite for them-as if the more time they spent together, the more deeply in love they fell. Their love for each other was wild like a flame and filled with nights of passion that made romance movies fall flat. So in all, it was safe to say that Draco and Hermione Malfoy loved each other beyond imaginable.

"Good morning, love," she purred into his ear, using her hands to bring his head down to her lips. Her morning kisses always made it feel like he was coming home. She was everything to him and brought him happiness that no one else could give. She had birthed his child, the next Malfoy heir, and it was only the beginning of their journey together. They had many more years to come, and the possibilities always made him swoon. He was blessed beyond anyone else he knew but it was because of his family's hard work and ambition dated generations back that had gotten him where he was now. He could do and say whatever he wanted, and no one could tell him otherwise. Having the Malfoy name certainly did have it's perks.

"Good morning," he hummed into her mouth in response. He kissed her deeply, pulling her body closer into his until he felt every inch of her silky skin mold into his. He moved his kisses to the side of her lips and face then sloppily left open mouthed licks down the side of her neck and continued downward between her sinful cleavage that made him fall apart every time he laid eyes on it. He used his hands to grasp ahold of each of her rounded breast through the thin lace that covered them. There wasn't an inch on her body that he had never touched before, or kissed, or sucked to leave his mark on, but it had never stopped him from feeling her as if he had never felt her before. Her body was his treasure and his alone. He was her first and would undeniably be her last. He was the one and only man that would ever make sweet, sweet love to her perfect body, and there was nothing else he could ever ask for. She was his perfect wife, and he was her devoted husband that enjoyed treating her like the queen she was.

He moved his kisses lower, passing by her flat stomach and navel, until he traced the edge of her lace panties with his tongue. He felt her shiver in anticipation, but then a pair of soft hands gripped his shoulders to halt his progression.

"Draco," she whined, "we both know that we cannot do this right now. Your father is probably downstairs already waiting for your presence."

He groaned into her skin before lifting himself up to stand on his knees with her petite body between them. He reached up to stretch his muscles, still keeping her trapped beneath him. "Leave it to my father to be such a cockblock," he complained.

She turned her head to the side to muffle her laughter into the pillow. He always loved listening to her laughs-sounding like dedicate windchimes to his eardrums. He lunged down once more to capture her lips before he swiftly rolled over her to make his way to one of the many dressers.

"How many people have you already chosen?" she asked him as she watched him from the bed.

He turned around to glance at her from over his shoulder, somewhat surprised to hear her bring up what he and his father had been working on for the past few weeks. In the former years she had avoided ever talking about the dinner that they hosted once every year, but now he could hear the slight curiosity that lined her voice. He faced her and grinned devilishly at her. She was lying on her side, her head propped up by one of her hands, and her barely covered breast where exposed as the blanket rested at her hips. She was so damn tempting, and he could barely control the animalistic urges that were demanding him to pounce her like she was his next meal .

"How about you join us tonight to find out?" he shot back at her, his eyes full of mirth. He had always wanted her to join him and his father at their annual dinner party, but she had always cringed at the idea. He could still see the vague apprehension that clouded her vision, but as he looked closely he could see that she really was interested. It made his insides tingle.

She huffed slightly, turning to lay flat on her back. "I don't think I should. It would be better if I just had mommy time with Scor."

He moved to buttoned up a pair of black slacks, keeping his eyes trained on her. "One night away from him won't kill him, I promise. Mother will be more than happy to take him off of our hands for a few hours."

She seemed to continue thinking it through. He wasn't going to push her on going because it needed to be her choice entirely. He knew how...tense the first dinner could be and he wanted her to be at ease. He could still remember his first time when his father had urged him to go. He had been seventeen, just shy of his eighteenth birthday, and he had enjoyed it beyond belief. There was only a certain type of person that could manage to make it through the night, and he had been the perfect one to do so. Hermione on the other hand...he could see where she might have some objections and he didn't hate her for it. Of course he would love it if she went but he was leaving the decision entirely up to her.

She sighed heavily. "Maybe next year."

He nodded silently and watched as she got up to slip into her black silk robe. She used her fingers to gently untangle her hair as she walked to the adjoining nursery and disappearing behind the thick wooden door. In the meantime, he walked to the closet and pulled out the matching suit jacket with a white button up to go underneath. He could hear her soft voice as she cooed their son awake, and it was only seconds later until she reappeared with his look alike nestled in her arms.

He watched her through their large mirror as she walked back to the large bed. It was a sight that he had dreamed of when he was a young teenager and he smiled fondly at how perfect everything had turned out. He glanced at the clock and rolled his eyes as he read the time. By now his father was probably cursing inside the limo, and Severus would be seconds away from being ordered to march up here and retrieve him. This afternoon would be the last meeting before dinner was finally held, and it was a relief to know that they would have their final guest in a few hours tops.

He strided across the room to join them on the bed. Knowing that his time was running, he swooped up his son in his arms and placed a gentle kiss upon Scor's pale blonde locks. Hermione had melted into his side, kissing him on the cheek, as she wrapped her arm around his back. It was small moments like these that made him realize that even though he had all of the wealth in the world at his fingertips, true happiness could never be bought.

He turned his head to share one last passionate kiss with her before he returned Scor back to Hermione and said goodbye. He always hated leaving her but he knew that it would only be for a few hours. He had quickly closed the door behind him and it wasn't long before he was opening the door to the sleek black limousine to join his father.

"Son," Lucius' strong, aristocratic voice called out. "Horace has informed me that he has found the excellent person to be out eighth and final guest. He's called her in for a meeting and she should be arriving there shortly after we do."

Draco grinned, "Excellent. I would've hated it if we were going to have to spend over two hours there. I would very much enjoy if we come home sooner than later."

"I'm sure you would," Lucius smirked. "Driver onward, we don't want to dally!"


	2. Chapter 2

Lucius and Draco arrogantly strolled into the building heading straight for Horace's office. They had been here dozens of times within the past few weeks to discuss the selected individuals, and they were both relieved that this was the last time for the year. As much as they liked sharing their wealth, they really didn't enjoy doing the manual work.

Dr. Horace Slughorn invited them into his private office eagerly as they awaited for the arrival of Tracey Davis, the newly selected eighth dinner guest. Lucius had seated himself in the leather seat in the corner of the room while Draco loitered around, carelessly grazing the objects on the high end book shelf. After several long minutes, he was starting to get bored. He eyed his rolex and rolled his eyes as he noted that fifteen minutes had passed and the broad had still not showed up. She was taking away his time and it was starting to piss him off.

"So much for getting home fast," he muttered towards his father.

Lucius pursed his lips, flicking at an invisible piece of lint on his impeccable black suit. "All in good time, Draco."

Thankfully at that moment the office door rudely opened and a messy looking girl roughly around his age tumbled through.

"Dr. Slughorn...the nurse said I could come in-" she stopped in her tracks as she took in him and his father. "Do I need to come back later?"

"Nonsense! It's fine, dear girl. It's nice to see you again, Miss Davis," he reached out to shake her hand before gesturing towards Lucius. "This is Lucius Malfoy and his son, Draco." He watched as his father stood up to shake the young woman's hand while he had stayed standing off to the side, making no movement to follow suit. She had turned toward him as if she were expecting him to reach out, but he sneered subtly enough to get his message and she balked in response.

"Dr. Slughorn has told me much about you, it's a pleasure to finally meet you," Lucius addressed her. She nodded her head, smiling gratefully at his father's words. It was almost enough for him walk out of the room. If there was one thing he hated above everything, it was people that buttered up to him and his family just because of their wealth. They were disgusting to him and because of it, it made the game so much funner to watch. All eight of the dinner guest would come scurrying up to their manor, asking for their money, and then expect to just walk home with pockets full of free money without having to pay a single price? It was laughable really. Nothing in this world was free, and the chance that his father was giving them had them practically killing themselves to take it. No one could resist free money, that's how pathetic these people where.

"Tracey, please take a seat," Horace used his arm to gesture to the seat next to his father. She nearly tripped on her own feet to do as she was told, like the good dog she was.

"So," Lucius began, "your brother. He's quite sick."

Tracey nodded slowly, "You can help him?"

Lucius' lips narrowed as he tilted his head to the side in consideration, not really wanting to tell her yes or no. "Well...let's just say my foundation has the ability to improve his situation."

Horace nodded his head gleefully. "The Malfoy's have funded the building of clinics all over the world-Haiti, Afghanistan, here-"

"We've build schools too," Lucius added, although Draco really didn't know why he did. It wasn't like they needed to brag even further to express to this girl how rich they truly were.

Tracey turned to frown at him, shaking her head. "My brother doesn't need a school."

"You're absolutely right," Lucius said, "but we're not talking about that today." He got up and took a few long strides until he was standing next to Horace's desk.

"My family also believes in creating opportunities for... everyday people. People who just haven't received a fair...," he waved his pale hand in the air as he thought of the right word "...shake in life-like you and your brother."

The girl scrunched her brows in confusion. "What do we have to do?"

"I'm hosting a dinner party tonight. And i'd like you to join us."

"Just me?"

Lucius nodded his head, "Yes, just you. There's also going to be other individuals there...like you. Individuals that we would like to help. The evening will culminate a game...of sorts. And the winner will be taken care of. Bills, school, housing...you name it. Anything you need will be all paid for in full. Everything."

"A contest?" she repeated. Her inept ability to understand what his father was saying was really starting to grate on his nerves. "What if I don't win?"

"Then you just don't win," Draco snapped a bit forcefully. Lucius was quick to send a sharp glare his way that instantly made him quiet back down. He just really wanted to get out of here and go home to his beautiful wife and child before dinner started. "That's it," he added on a softer tone as if he hadn't nearly yelled at her seconds prior.

Her brows furrowed even further, slightly shaking her head in what Draco could only guess was disbelief. "I'm sorry, Dr. Slughorn...no offense to Mr. Malfoy...but is this...legit? This is for real?"

Horace and Lucius shared a light chuckle, giving each other amused looks. "Very real, Tracey," Horace reassured her. The elder man got up from his desk and made his way to stand in front of the young lady. "Mr. Malfoy saved my life," he started as Lucius walked back to his seat. "Not long ago, but before I met you and your brother, I was in the same position. I had already lost my wife and I was on my way to losing everything...my medical practice...everything. I had no place to turn. I was invited to this dinner event, so I went."

"And I take it you won?" she questioned the doctor.

"Indeed, he did," Lucius confirmed. "And I am proud to say that the Malfoy foundation came through on its promise."

Horace nodded. "Tenfold."

Tracey looked awestruck as if she had been given the news that her brother's sickness had been sucked from his dying body. Her eyes started to look bright and hopeful as any other young adult's should.

Lucius clasped his hands together, sharing a quick proud look with Draco. "You see what we might be able to do for you?"

She nodded feverishly, "Money would very much help but-"

"Then I see no reason for you to object," Lucius cut in. He reached inside his coat pocket and pulled out his family's contact information. She took the silver business-style card with their family emblem on the back and eyed it apprehensively. "I do apologize for such short notice but if you chose to join us, I will need your RSVP by three this afternoon. My staff will make transportation arrangements to pick you up."

She slowly nodded her head and made her way to the door. Just as she put her hand on the door knob, Lucius spoke out again. "It would do you well to remember that when I say that we have the ability to dramatically improve your brother's situation, it's not just the money that I am talking about. You win the game and we can bypass the waiting list and find a donor immediately." He inclined his head slightly to her for her to understand the significance of his words. He was quite literally throwing her a lifeline, and Draco was beyond positive that she wouldn't dare refuse. They had read her file before they arrived and they knew that she had nothing and no one except for her sick brother. Her parents had both died several years back, she had recently dropped out of college because of the lack of funds, and she was currently unemployed with dozens of final notices on her accounts. The young woman was drowning in debt and this was the only way she would come out on top. She had no choice but to accept their offer.

She said nothing, and instead walked out of the door without another glance back.

He would give her an hour tops before she called Severus to reserve her spot, the girl was just too predictable.

"She is perfect," his father informed Horace. "You chose well."

Draco took a few steps to close the distance between him and his father, but halted as he realized that Horace had not answered Lucius. He turned his head to the side, his pale eyes narrowing in suspicion before darting to his father. Lucius too, was watching the good doctor as he fumbled with the several papers on his desk.

"Horace?" Lucius called out. After several seconds of silence the agitation clearly showed on his father's face. "Horace!"

"I'm not sure if she's right for this…" came his faint reply.

Lucius let out a bark of a laugh. "What?" He got up from his seat and stopped in front of Horace. "She couldn't be more perfect. She's fighting for her brother herself. She has no relatives, no family, no one to ask questions." He smirked.

"Lucius, she's not right for this. I've changed my mind."

Draco straightened up, glancing at his father who had suddenly gone stoic. Once again, he reached inside of his coat pocket and pulled out a thick envelope before throwing it on the old man's desk with a loud thud. If he were to guess, he would say that there was at least fifty grand inside of it.

"I appreciate everything you have done, Horace. Consider this a raise for you to take care of your sister. What was it that she's recently been diagnosed with? Kidney failure? I know you have the funds to financially support her...but someone like you will never get to skip ahead of a waiting list. Despite being a doctor, you're still just a common citizen. Quite sad, really, but if you were to stay working for me, I'd be more than willing to get her the next available operation."

Horace looked like a bug stuck between a shoe and a hard place, and it was amusing beyond belief. It was laughable to see the doctor think he had even the slightest bit of authority when in reality he was just another pawn that his father kept in constant check.

"Should we be worried about this moment of weakness on your part?" Draco asked with a threatening sneer as he stood next to his father.

Horace shook his head, but his frown still remained. "Of course not, I'm fine."

"Good," his father's stern voice finalized, then turned on his heel and made his exit with Draco not missing a beat to follow after.

Finally, he was getting to go back home where he knew a very eager Hermione would be awaiting. He could hardly wait until he got her alone, the mere thought sent his pulse skyrocketing. He desperately needed to get to his wife so that she could alleviate the tension that was building beneath the front of his pants, and he needed to get to her fast.


	3. Chapter 3

He could hardly think straight as it was with Hermione grinding her core against his as she straddled his hips, so when his cell phone rang from the bedside table it was her that had reached over him to grab it. In one fluid motion, she answered it and placed the phone next to his ear without stopping the rhythm that had them dangerously close to the edge.

"Yes father," he spoke through gritted teeth, desperately trying to keep his voice steady as the intense pleasure spread throughout his body.

He let the phone drop onto the pillow as he reached up to grab ahold of Hermione's hips right as she clamped down on him, drawing out a loud groan from his throat. The distant voice of his father suddenly cut out and the line went dead but he had been able to grasp the overall direction of what his father had been saying. As he had guessed earlier, the young woman they had talked to earlier with Dr. Horace had RSVP'd for dinner. Now, they successfully had a full guest list and he could hardly wait for the games to begin. In the meantime, however, he had a wife to please.

He rolled the two of them over to where he was now on top with her writhing underneath him. He pressed himself into her tight walls and together they moaned at the new contact. He kept his mouth glued to hers, feverishly clashing his teeth against hers as they each fought for dominance. With a deep thrust of his hips, he upped the tempo their rhythm and used one of his hands to grip the back of her head to bring her closer to him, while the other made its way down to stroke her in the way that always sent her soaring. It took only a few seconds before she arched into him, and chanted his name over and over again like a sweet prayer with him eagerly capturing them as they escaped her lips.

"Tell me you love me," he whispered against her body as she cried out in pleasure. "Tell me you're mine."

Between her blissful shrieks she was able to give him what he wanted. "I love you, Draco," she panted. "I love you. I'm yours, all yours-" she whimpered as he slowed down enough to where she could feel every vein and ridge of the thick muscle between his legs,"-and no one else's."

Her voice gave him the final push before he too followed after her, his seed spewing inside of her walls. As their breathing returned to normal, he rested his forehead against hers, savoring her sweet breaths as they fanned across his face.

"Think that'll give us our second born?," she whispered to him playfully, using her hands to rake through his pale locks.

He smiled at her, pulling her over his body so that she could lay upon his chest. "If not, we'll keep trying day and night until it does."

She hummed in response, pecking a light kiss above his nipple. "You're mother was actually asking me about that this morning after you and your father left. She's pretty bent on the next one being a girl."

He scoffed, "There hasn't been a female born within the Malfoy line since my great-great-grandfather, so the odds of us having a daughter are slim to none. The same goes with a second child."

She lifted her head up to pout at him. "But I want one."

He stared deeply at her, seeing her emotions being expressed through her doe eyes. There wasn't anything he wouldn't do for her and he would never refuse to give her anything she wanted. He cherished the mere ground she walked on and if it was a second child that she wanted, then by God he was going to give it to her. Her happiness was more important than anything, even his own.

"Then one," he leaned up to kiss her forehead, "you shall get." He glanced at the clock and exhaled slowly. There was only two more hours till dinner and he needed to start getting ready. If he was late, like he had been last year, his father would more than likely skin him alive. And he was really not in the mood to get on the bad side of his father at the moment.

He released his wife and rolled off of the side of the bed. "I'm going to take a shower," he said as he took a few steps towards the direction of the bathroom. He heard a soft hum in response and stopped to turn back to her. She was laying there without anything covering up her naked body, glowing from their post-coital bliss, and he found the view too irresistible to pass up. He slowly stepped back to the bed and reached out to grasp ahold of her ankle. With one gentle tug he pulled her towards his body, and lifted her up into his hands.

"Correction," he planted a hot kiss on the side of her neck, "we're going to take a shower." She wrapped her tight thighs around his abdomen and wrapped her arms around his neck, returning the kiss twice as heavy. "You, my love, read my mind."

With her still wrapped around him he stepped into the shower and turned the brass knob, sending the warm water spilling over their bodies. For the next half an hour the two of them replayed the activities they had just done moments before, getting lost in each other's arms-taking and giving pleasure to each other that made their toes curl. It was, in Draco's opinion, the perfect way to prepare for the annual Malfoy Foundation dinner. In fact, he was entirely sure that there wasn't a better way.

Xxxxxxxxx

He stepped into his father's office after Severus had went and informed him of the last guests arrival. Apparently his father had some last words that the two needed to discuss before the night could officially begin. Whatever it was he hoped it would go by fast because he was practically itching for the real fun to start.

"Well look at this," Lucius' voice called out as he approached. "This look is such an improvement compared to last years." His father's silver eye's wandered from the top of his combed white-blonde hair to the soles of his black leather shoes. Draco never had problems with his appearance but last year's dinner preparations had been so hectic that he hadn't looked as good as he usually did. Somehow he had lost track of time when he had been spending time upstairs with Hermione, and by the time he had gotten himself to the dining room he hadn't even noticed that he had two different shoes on. So yes, this year was a complete improvement.

"Always dressed to impress," Draco told him, "you taught me that."

Lucius reached out to hand him an ice glass filled with whisky. "Indeed, I did. Are you ready to go downstairs?"

Draco raised an eyebrow, "Aren't you?"

Lucius brought the glass up to his lips, taking a long sip of the finest money could afford. "It's a shame that Hermione couldn't join us tonight. I was thinking that this year was going to be the one."

He hung his head back, letting the golden liquid slide down his throat. "I did too," he replied. "For a split second, she almost did. Maybe next year."

Lucius sighed. "It's a miracle that she gave it consideration. After all of these years your mother still likes to pretend that none of what occurs tonight happens. She absolutely refuses to participate, which is, quite honestly, very disappointing."

Draco shrugged, downing the rest of his drink before discarding it on the nearby table. "Father, do we have to sit through the entire dinner? Why can't we just get it over with and avoid having to play hostess?"

"Draco, that's not the way it works," Lucius frowned. "There is a process involved and we must stick to it."

He let out a forced laugh, throwing himself into the nearby leather chair. "Of course, of course. What was I thinking."

Lucius shook his head. "I have no idea. Now let's go join Severus and the others. He should have situated them by now." He walked to the door and held it open, waiting for him to cross through first.

With a loud groan, he lifted himself up and crossed the threshold. Time for some fun, he thought and from behind him he could hear the distinct sound of his father's footsteps as they climbed down the stairs and headed towards the dining room. He could hear the voices of several individuals all admiring various different things about the house and he rolled his eyes. These people weren't even in the proper dining room and yet they found it to be the most magnificent thing they had ever laid their pathetic eyes upon. Oh, how they were in for a night of surprises. By the time the night was over none of them would ever wish to see this place ever again, and the thought had him muffling his laughter. Indeed, it was time for some fun.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

He had barely managed to hide his sneer as their dinner guests stared at them as they made their entrance. Severus had already seated them where their name placards laid, and it appeared that they had been simply waiting for the two of them to arrive.

His father strutted across the room to the other side while Draco slid into the seat on the end, facing the head chair of his father.

Lucius held his arms out wide, smiling at their guests. "Good evening everyone.I apologize if I have kept anyone waiting but welcome to the Malfoy Manor." His father held out his hand to gesture towards his side of the table, "Let me introduce you to my son, Draco."

He lifted his head up slightly from its resting position, and forced a smile at them. "Hello."

He pretended that he didn't see one of the guests-a dark haired man with round, crooked glasses-wave at him or even the elder gentleman in the wheelchair that returned his words.

Lucius turned the attention away from him and moved onto Severus. "You've all met out butler, Severus, and his staff." All of the guests turned to eye the man dressed in all black as he bowed. "Severus, how about we start off with some wine, shall we?"

The staff jumped into motion. Half of the servers went to the wine cabinet while the other few headed towards the kitchen to grab the dinner plates. He knew that his mother, wife, and son were in the next room over and he could picture Hermione beaming as she spoonfed their child. His mother was probably cooing Scor and endlessly pushing the idea of future grandchildren down Hermione's throat. It was enough to make him smile but he hid it behind his hand so that the other's couldn't see.

"Dinner tonight is seared foie gras and rib-eyed steak with a red wine reduction, served with asparagus and garlic leek mashed potato," Severus informed them. "Enjoy."

"I haven't had a meal like this in so long," the man that had waved at him earlier mumbled. An unappealing looking redhead with too many freckles to count spoke up with an incredulous look on his face. "I've never had a meal like this in my life, are you kidding me."

Draco silently snorted in amusement. The meal before him wasn't anything special compared to what he had had in the past. It was just an average dinner that he had grown up with and it wouldn't even graze his top ten choices. He remembered the night of his wedding reception and the extravagance of the food that had been served. Now that had been some high quality food that these people probably had never heard of. If he really thought about it hard enough he could actually taste-

"Excuse me," Tracey hesitantly stuck her hand up in the air, attracting his father's gaze.

"Yes?"

She looked down at the plate of food and grimaced. "I probably should have mentioned this before but...um...I'm a vegetarian."

This time he didn't stay silent as he scoffed. She whipped her head around to look at him as if he offended her, but he didn't care. Exactly who did she think she was anyway?

His father leaned forward in his chair, clasping his hands in front of him. "Oh, well this is interesting. I'm sorry about that Tracey, but we don't have anything else in the kitchen."

That was a lie.

"Okay," Tracey nodded her head rather forcefully. The look on her face was as if she had gotten a whiff of something horrid and she could hardly hide her displeasure at the news. "I don't mean to be a bother, the potatoes are fine...i'll be fine."

Draco pursed his lips at his father, agitated that this woman would turn down something that she ought to be grateful for. Lucius nodded his head subtly at him, telling him that he agreed with his frustration.

"How long have you been a vegetarian?" the man in the wheelchair named Albus (as Draco recalled from the file) asked Tracey.

"Most of my life," Tracey answered sweetly. "I just can't imag-"

Lucius looked up from his plate, stilling his fork and knife. "I think that we have just found out first opportunity to award some money." He smirked before sticking a piece of steak in his mouth. The dinner guests perked up immediately, all looking at his father as if he were God ready to save the day...which in their cases he kinda would be.

"I would like for you to eat the steak and the foie gras, I really would." He stared at her unblinkingly. Draco lifted his fork to his mouth and began to chew slowly, savoring the panicked look on the woman's face. Was eating meat really that terrifying to her? If that were the case, she wasn't going to last more than ten minutes once the real game began. He wanted to see the life wilt from the girl with his very eyes. She was just...really annoying to him and he didn't care enough to pinpoint exactly why. Perhaps it was because she thought she could ignore his father's wishes and refuse to do as he said, like she was doing at the precise moment by shaking her head.

"I can't do that…"

Lucius tilted his head to the side, his lips coiling into a devious smile. "Of course you can...but you won't." He pointed his knife at her, "Yet, that is."

Her jaw fell open. "No, really. I can't do it," she shook her head, bringing her hands up to her chest. "I'm not trying to be rude, I just won't do it."

Lucius' smile widened as he cut into his own food. "Listen, I understand that it's not going to be easy, but I refuse to accept that you don't have a price."

That shut her up, Draco noted. He grinned as he eyed the other guests staring at his father in astonishment.

"Five thousand dollars to eat the steak and this decadent," he popped another piece of meat into his mouth for emphasis, "foie gras." He closed his eyes for effect as he savored the flavor and he sent a quick proud look at Severus. "Make it ten thousand."

Draco tilted his head humorously to the side as Tracey stared at his father wide eyed in shock. Severus leaned down to place a thick stack of green bills next to his father and he wasn't blind to how the guests eyed it greedily as if it were more than they ever owned.

Lucius pointed at the stack with his fork. "Ten thousand dollars...what could you do with that?"

Tracey scoffed, looking at the other's in disbelief.

"You should eat it," Albus smiled at her. "Just close your eyes." The man next to her with overly large front teeth rapidly nodded his head in agreement. "It's a lot of money."

The advice from the elder seemed to work it's magic because one moment later Tracey was cutting into her steak as if her life depended on it. She looked mortified at her actions but he could tell how badly she was forcing herself to complete the task.

Her eyes were blinking quickly, but she managed to take the first bite. She was inhaling deeply through her nostrils as she chew, and he could actually see how repulsed she was by doing so. By God the woman was so weak!

"Make sure you eat it all, or you can say goodbye to the money," Lucius' voice broke through the silence. Draco actually let a few chuckles pass his lips at how the girl trembled in her seat.

She nodded her head, and stuck another piece of food inside of her mouth. "I can't believe I'm doing this…"

"Yeah," the dark haired man beside her agreed, "but for ten thousand dollars, it's okay." He glanced at Lucius, letting out his own sound mixed between a laugh and a scoff. It was starting to irritate Draco that he couldn't, for the life of him, remember the man's name. He knew everyone else's but he could not place his finger on who the man was. On his left was Remus-some man that they had flown in from Idaho, next to him was Tracey, then the dark haired man, and last was the redhead named Ron, who was seated on his father's left. On the other hand, the person to Draco's right was a real basket case named Pansy- with too many piercings and tattoos for her to be taken seriously-then the old man Albus, the large toothed slob named Neville, then the last person was a quiet one that went by the name Sirius. That was all eight of their guests and each one had been invited for a reason. Each of them had some devastation that they were going through and they were desperate to seek help-enough to accept the Malfoy dinner invitation that would ultimately change each and every one of their lives.

Tracey kept shoving piece after piece into her mouth and it appeared to amuse his father quite enough. "A lifetime of discipline and commitment to cause whipped away by a mere ten thousand dollars," he let out a throaty laugh. The girl kept her eyes downcast as she finished off the piece of meat, but it didn't hide the deep red tinge of embarrassment to her cheeks.

"Well...that is nothing compared to what will be at stake tonight, I can reassure you of that," his father informed them all. He signaled Severus to take the stack of money, and Draco watched as the girl brightened up as the bills were placed in front of her.

His father, on the other hand, turned to look at the man on his left who had steadily pushed away the waiter that was trying to fill his wine glass. It appeared to spark his father's curiosity because he raised a questionable brow and said, "You don't like the wine?"

The man looked surprised to have been noticed. Sirius brought down his water glass and returned Lucius' gaze. "Oh, no. It's not that."

"We can get you something else if you'd like," Lucius told him. "We have some wonderful scotch that's been my son and I's favorite for years. Isn't that right, Draco?"

He nodded his head, just barely enough to be noticed. "Yes, the very best that you can ever find."

Sirius still shook his head. "No thanks, I don't drink."

Draco smirked at his father. These people were just making it too easy!

"Ooh," Lucius smiled. "Is that right?" he tapped his silver fork against his knife, sharing a cunning look with Draco.

"You're a recovering alcoholic," Lucius said as he turned back to Sirius, who was busying himself by cutting into his food. "Aren't you?"

The man lowered his silverware, disbelief evident in every crevice on his face. "That's not your business."

Lucius laughed at his remark. "On the contrary, you are here in my house essentially begging me and my family for our money, so how is it not my business?" His father's steel grey eyes stared at Sirius', challenging the man to tell him otherwise. At his silence, he continued. "How long has it been?"

Sirius huffed, rotating his head to stare down at the other individuals. "It's been sixteen years that I've turned everything in my life around."

Once again, Lucius laughed at his remark. "But you haven't. Look at you," his father gestured at Sirius, "you're still mired in a pit of piss poor health and crippling debt. I'd hate to see what you would've looked like sixteen years ago. I mean really, what's the point?"

"Please," Sirius snapped. "Why're you doing this?"

Lucius dropped his silverware loudly onto his plate, his eyes barely containing his rage at being spoken to in such a manner. Draco smirked, leaning back into his chair to get comfortable, using his hand to hide the sadistic smile that was starting to form.

"Because I want to help you," his father answered in a deadly tone. "Look," he moved his gaze to the others in the room. "It's safe to say that drinking is what ruined your life in the first place, isn't it? So what if...drinking again could help you save it?"

Sirius scrunched his brows in confusion. "What?"

"We'll give you ten thousand dollars if you drink that glass of wine."

It was Sirius' turn to laugh. "No. No way. No. You don't understand. You have no idea how hard I've worked."

His father pointed at Tracey from across the table. "Tracey here, she just devoured a pile of meat and she's a devout vegetarian, and you won't drink a little wine?"

Sirius glared at the woman. "It's totally different, why are you doing this to me?"

Lucius narrowed his eyes at him. "Fifty thousand dollars. If you drink this decanter. Right now." Severus placed an entire rectangular bottle in front of Sirius. It was filled to the brim with scotch that cost nearly twice as much as the man was being offered.

"What is this? A test? Is this real?" Sirius questioned them, skepticism pouring out of him like water.

"I can guarantee you that I am deadly serious, Sirius, and you know that I am." Lucius shot back without hesitation. "The glass of wine or the whole damn decanter. It seems to me that the wine is, well, pretty simple, isn't it? But the scotch...," Lucius tilted his head, "we could consider that a...momentarily lapse to change a life."

It appeared that the man's will was starting to weaken as he eyed the decanter. He kept shaking his head as if he was disappointed with himself and the entire situation he was in, but Draco could physically see the want in his gaze. The man looked at the alcohol like it was his long lost lover, and it was revolting to him. It was pathetic to see these people, and to see what they had chosen to put over themselves and their families. It was disgusting.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry," there were tears starting to form in the man's eyes.

Lucius paid no mind and continued to press on. "So what would you rather do?"

Sirius inhaled deeply and reached out to grasp the top of the decanter. In one quick motion, he opened it and took a large gulp.

Lucius bursted out into laughter, clapping his hands, while Draco chuckled aimlessly into his hand that was still propping up the side of his face.

"Severus," Lucius gestured towards the butler. "I believe that accounts for the dinner portion of tonight's agenda." The staff rushed forward to collect the dinner plates and cleaned off the rest of the table.

Once everything was settled, Lucius stood and used his knife to tap on his wine glass to call for his audience's attention. From beside him, Sirius used his hands to clutch as his ears-a now empty decanter bottle mere inches away from him. "Regarding to tonight's game please allow me to alleviate any concerns you may have."

From Draco's left, Remus used his hand to signal around the table. "We haven't already been playing?"

Lucius slowly shook his head from side to side. "Oh no...the game you will all be playing has yet to officially begin."

"What exactly is the game?" Albus' elderly voice rang out.

"Well it is not a quiz or a trivia contest, nor is it a test of brute strength or athleticism. At it's core, it's just a children's game and I would wager that some of you here this evening have played 'Would You Rather' at some point. So, how do we play?" he grinned at the individuals around the table before moving to walk behind them. "In each round , each player will be given a choice between A or B and usually neither choice is very attractive. Let's see if I can give you an example…Ron, would you rather kiss Tracey or Neville?"

Draco watched as the guests all started to look at ease with the words coming from his father, some even started to chuckle. They didn't really think it was going to be that easy, did they? For their sake, he hoped not.

"I guess I would say that I would rather kiss Tracey," Ron answered.

Lucius smiled, "Very good. Now, this is where our version of the game is different. Whatever you chose, you must act upon. So in this case, Ron you must walk over and kiss Tracey."

"You're going to make us kiss each other?" Albus softly chuckled.

Lucius sobered instantly, "No. No, nothing like that. That was just off of the top of my head. Now, as the game continues with one dilemma after another, eliminating players as we go until we have our winner."

"And how are players eliminated?" the dark haired man asked.

"Well when a player is no longer capable of continuing, for whatever reason, then they are eliminated," his fathered answered honestly. Too honestly, in fact, but these people were so desperate for money that they would never snap onto the clues that they were being given.

"What if someone refuses to make a choice," Tracey asked. "Like if Ron hadn't wanted to kiss either of us?"

"Ahh...if you refuse to chose, well, I'm afraid that that would call for elimination," Lucius informed her, placing his arm on Draco's shoulder. "And one more thing, the dilemmas are timed and you must make your decision in fifteen seconds or you will be eliminated."

"Hold up," Remus interjected. "Is all this necessary? I mean, couldn't you help all of us? Why does this have to be a game?"

Lucius glanced at Draco before answering the man. "Because, as simple as the game is, it's all about decision making in it's rawest form. And there is no better window into a person's character than the decisions that they make and how they make them, and how one implies rationale, and ethics, and reason while under duress," he nodded at them. "Tonight will test your limits and ultimately prove whether you deserve my family's help. So as much as I would love to help all of you, I still have my family and our Foundation to consider. I have to leave my legacy not only for Draco but for my newborn grandson as well. With that being said, if no one no longer wishes to play, now is your opportunity to leave. We have cars waiting outside."

Draco's pale eyes raked over the table, noticing that no one was making any move to leave except for Sirius, the drunken bastard who stood up and grabbed his large (but in honest reality, quite small) stack of cash only to throw it back down onto the table, then returning to his chair.

Lucius smirked. "Alrighty then, we have a full house. And so," his father completed his circle to sit back down into the chair at the head of the table, "Here. We. Go."


	4. Chapter 4

Everyone's attention moved to the doors as Severus wheeled in a cart with a curtain shielding their wandering eyes from realizing what it was. As he pushed it further into the room, the staff behind him closed the doors but not without latching the locks into place.

"Ah, our man Severus, ladies and gentlemen." Lucius held out his hand towards the head butler. "Did any of you happen to know that he was formerly an agent with MI5-the security service of the UK?"

Severus inclined his head, moving his black, beady eyes across the room. "Many years ago, as an integrator." His pale hands reached up to unshield the cart, and with an elegant whoosh, a device with many straps and levers was revealed.

Lucius grinned. "Is this one of your old toys, Severus?" Draco's smile widened as he took in the frightened looks that were starting to show on the guests faces. Perhaps now they were starting to see the magnitude of their acceptance of the Malfoy family invitation.

"It is, sir," Severus addressed the head of the table. "Car batteries with some aftermath configurations." He smiled wickedly.

"Ah," Lucius let out a string of light laughter.

The dark haired man's green eyes widened almost comically. "What the hell is this?"

From across the table Sirius shook his head. "Oh no. I can see where this is going," he said with a lazy drawl. He began to stand from the table, clutching the fifty grand tightly in his hands.

"Sirius," his father warned but the man was having nothing of it.

"I knew this was too good to be true. This is a joke! You just want to hurt us!" He stepped away from the table and leaned toward the other guests. "Are you people just going to sit here and let this-" he pointed at Lucius "-sick, perverted, son of a bitch debase you? Be my guess!"

"Someone's had a little too much to drink," Draco mused with a slight laugh from behind his hand, watching as the raging man attempted to tumble towards the door.

The man shoved his finger in his face. "That's right! That's right, and I'm going home." Draco's eyes narrowed while his brows shot up in amusement. He was most certainly looking at a very dead man.

From the front of the table, Lucius tutted. "Oh Sirius, you've already been given that chance."

"I don't care!" Sirius yelled. "I'm done with this!"

Lucius laughed, "You were warned." Draco tipped his head back as the drunken bastard took several angry steps towards his father. It would only be a few more seconds before-

"Go to hell you sick motherfu-"

In one expertise motion Severus reached into the waistband of his pants and fired a shot at the raging man's head. A vivid spray of red went flying across the dinner guest and they all shot up out of their seats screaming in shock at what they had just seen.

His father had stayed silent, watching as they all scrambled about and Draco found it hard not to laugh at how much they reminded him of chickens with their heads' cut off.

The rest of the staff jumped into action, each grabbing one of the guests and pointing a gun to their head as they refused to sit back down in their assigned seating. Remus lifted his hands up in the air, bending down to lift up his chair that had fallen. Tracey was standing up in shock with her mouth hung open, and the man with the glasses was restlessly tugging on her arm to get her to oblige to the orders. Ron was being led from out of the corner with a gun barrel jammed under his chin visibly shaking from head to toe. On the other side of the table, Pansy looked startled but not really traumatized like the others, and it wasn't as if the old man cripple had moved. The man next to her, however, looked as if he was about to pass out, his eyes staring at the blood splatter on the side of Albus' profile.

From across the table, he locked eyes with his father. Lucius shook his head humorlessly and lifted up his wine glass to give him a silent toast. Draco smirked as he downed the liquid, scoffing when he caught sight of the dead body of the first elimination. He wondered if Hermione had heard the noise or if she was too far away too hear the shot. He momentarily scrunched his brow trying to imagine if his son had flinched in his sleep, or if he had merely turned his fragile head in the opposite direction. He frowned but then remembered that they were in the east wing of the manor, on the complete opposite side of the house where his wife and child were. There had been a change up this year compared to the previous ones and it was solely because of the arrival of Scor. Lucius had changed the room location to avoid the possibility of Scor getting even the slightest sound of what was happening. It was such a relief as he remembered.

Even though the guests had all been re-seated, the staff remained designated behind them, the guns still aimed and ready for even the slightest movement on their part.

The old man's eyes were twinkling as he swerved his head to Lucius. "I would like to go home."

Draco rolled his eyes, tapping his pointer finger against the side of his skull as he silently watched. Did the old fool really think that he would get mercy because of his age?"

Lucius stood up, grasping the edge of the table as he shook his head at him."Albus, obviously participation is no longer voluntary. I believe we just made that perfectly clear." They all looked horror stricken as one of the staff dragged the corpse from the room. "Severus, let's continue, shall we?" he lowered himself back into his chair signaling the butler to start the first round of the game.

Severus nodded his head and pushed the cart to where it was positioned behind Remus and Tracey. Lucius reached down to grab an antique clock, and wound it up for the first contestant. The loud sound of leather gloves snapping against flesh echoed across the room, causing many of the individuals around the table to flinch as Severus started the machine. Draco had to admit that electrocution was relatively new to their game...and quite intimidating if he really thought about it. Each year his father and Severus managed to up the stakes, and the machine actually sent shivers down his spine. He could hardly imagine the feeling of electrifying voltage being pumped into his body, but to see it inflicted upon others...well, that was different and quite exciting.

Severus placed the headwrap upon Remus' head as the man took a deep, shuddering breath. "W-What's this? What are we doing?" Another staff member walking around the table to do so to Pansy.

"Well, Remus, you're up first!" Lucius beamed at the man. "So, Remus, would you rather electrocute yourself or would you rather electrocute Pansy?" Severus reached down to place a controller next to the shaking man. "The blue button is for you or press the red button if you'd rather zap Pansy. And you have fifteen seconds to decide." Lucius looked up from the clock to grin at Remus. "Beginning now."

Several of the guests hunched over, pleading for the time to stop or even the slightest mercy to be given. "Don't push it," the dark haired man instructed Remus while Tracey kept begging for him to wait. "Don't push the button." Pansy shook her head from side to side, silently telling Remus not to inflict the damage upon her. The time was ticking and Draco watched as Remus' eyes went round before he jammed his thumb down onto the blue spot.

The effects were instantaneously. His body thrashed violently as little sparks flew from the headpiece. The voltage was enough to where Draco could actually see small puffs of smoke flow from the metal plates. But just as soon as it began, it stopped and the man deflated into his chair with glazed eyes. Pansy smiled wickedly at his form causing Draco to lift up a curious brow. So the girl had a sadistic side? She was sure to make enemies here fast.

"Moving on," Lucius informed them as he reset the clock. Severus maneuvered the cart to the other side of the table and placed the headpiece that he had taken off of Remus onto Albus.

"You can't be serious," Neville called out.

"No! Please," the wheelchaired man begged, unsuccessfully trying to free his head. The other guests shouted their protests trying to spare him, but Lucius shook his head. "Pansy, your next. Would you rather press the blue button to electrocute yourself or-"

Albus' screams filled the room as the jolts of electricity poured through his skull. "Oh," Lucius' brows rose in astonishment.

Pansy threw the controller onto the table, looking around at the shocked faces. "We're competing right?"

"No timer needed…" Lucius noted. Damn the bitch was cold. He had never grown attached to the dinner guests before, or had he ever placed his bets on the winner...but this woman next to him...he couldn't wait for her to see her end. She just looked too...smug for his liking as if she was better than everyone else here. She had been lucky that Remus hadn't electrocuted her, but Draco knew from firsthand experience that luck didn't last particularly long in this game. Everyone was going to go through a bit of hell before they could walk home with their free money.

"Albus," Neville's worried voice rang through the shocked silence. He was leaning towards Albus, gently shaking the elder's unmoving body.

"Severus," Lucius called for the butler to give his medical advice. The man hurriedly stepped towards him and grabbed ahold of the sides of his face. Rather forcefully, he used his leather clad gloves to smack both of Albus' cheeks until they were able to see a response as he stirred back into conscience. "Is he ready? Albus!" his father yelled. "Can you hear me? It's your turn."

He shook his head, the gray hairs on his head and beard whipping back and forth as he did so. "I can't do this."

Lucius pursed his lips in agitation. "Well, you have to do must make a decision, it's the game." As Severus did with the previous others, he went onto the next person to secure the headpiece. "Red is for Neville and-"

Neville stood up. "I don't think I can do this either." But Severus was quick to grasp ahold of his shoulders as another staff member planted a gun next to his face. It didn't take more than a second before Neville held up his hands in surrender and lowered himself back down.

"What was that?" Draco growled, breaking his silence. Were these people seriously not understanding that they no longer had a choice to play? "What have you people seen in the last ten minutes that has led you to believe you do not have to perform in this round? Sit down and play the game!" Lucius raised a curious brow at his outburst but nodded his head in agreement with his words. Draco always usually stayed quiet during their annual dinners, just watching as each individual got eliminated- sometimes making snide remarks that usually led to his father sending glares his way. As fun and exhilarating that the night was, it sometimes dawned on his patience as these people fought for their lives, some just refused go down without a fight. There were just some rules that he had to abide by due to his father and he always followed them. As a Malfoy he was never to touch any of the participants or participate in any way. He had to remain as an objective observer as each of the people were eliminated. If any of them were to be removed from the game it was entirely up to Severus and the staff to handle the situation. His job as a Malfoy was simply to observe until it was his turn to take over his father. So far, he had never had any problems and he doubted that he ever would.

"Would you rather electrocute yourself, for the second time, Albus, or would you rather shock Neville?" his father's voice snapped him back to the matters at hand, the soft rewinding of the clock was the only thing that could be heard apart from the harsh pants from the individuals that had already taken their turn. "Fifteen seconds."

The old man winced as he reached forward to signal the jolts to pour into the younger man's head. As the others, Neville's body lurched forward, shaking from head to toe. He had bitten hard into his lip and the blood slowly leaked from the side of his mouth, down his chin.

"Fuck!" he shouted as the machine died down. Lucius clapped, beaming at the man to his left.

"Well done, both of you! Next!"

As expected, Neville opted out of shocking himself for a second time and instead chose to press the button for the redhead. It was when Severus attached the headpiece to the dark haired man that Draco saw what a bleeding heart the guy had. He had actually nodded his head for Ron to send the voltage his way, and he took it like a champ. Yes it still hurt him- as he actually slid out of his chair in agony, but it was when he had chosen to not electrocute Tracey that had Draco's brows raise in surprise. As far as he was concerned, he would most definitely never take the pain for others unless it was Hermione or their son, but this was a competition! One wasn't invited here to make friends or shake hands! Did they not understand that there was only going to be one victor? Did they not get that it was themselves that were going to be killing each other off as the rounds continued? These people were pathetic, and in such a revolting way that made him hate their bravery. Although was it really bravery or just their flight responses telling them to do whatever it took to survive? Either way, it was ridiculous- and apparently it was the same for Pansy because the girl scoffed loudly, rolling her eyes at the two of them.

When it was the last person's turn, Tracey had full tears streaking down her face, smearing her mascara and makeup to where it looked like she was a raccoon.

Lucius drummed his fingers against the oak table, "Tracey, finish off round one. Would you rather shock yourself, or shock Remus for the second time?"

She took several deep breaths, flinching each time as the clock ticked. "You do whatever you've got to do," Remus whispered to her, but Draco could see the fear etched in every faint line on his face.

"Go," his father instructed, pressing the clock to start.

She whimpered, and sucked in a vast amount of air before she pressed down upon the controller. This time it wasn't just Draco that was surprised as she chose to press the red button to spare the man next to her.

"That was an interesting choice," Lucius mumbled at the head of the table, his eyes narrowing down onto her. He knocked onto the table, "Alright, well done everyone," he clapped. "Very well done. Now," he pushed himself up, "I'm going to give you all a moment to compose yourselves, while we prepare for the next round." He nodded his head at Draco, and soon the two of them left the room without a second glance back.

"Keep guard at the door," Draco commanded the nearby staff member, "and listen to what they say. If you hear anything suspicious come find me or my father." With a sharp nod, he left the man and started in the direction of his wife.

 

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

 

"There you are," he strolled into one of the numerous sitting rooms. His wife was sitting cross legged on a daybed, a book clutched loosely in her hands.

At the sight of him she smiled slyly and reached out towards him. He crossed the space between them quickly and slid into place beside her.

"What are you doing on this side of the house anyway?" he asked her as he planted a trail of kisses down her neck into the soft material of her blouse. It was still relatively early in the afternoon so she was still dressed in her day attire.

"Well, I couldn't help but get somewhat curious to what was happening. I, uh...heard the noise earlier so I wanted to make sure everything was okay. Cormac-"

"Who the hell is Cormac?" he tensed in her arms, bringing his head up to look her in the eyes.

She rolled her eyes, turning over so that she was perched in his lap. "He's one of the guards that works here, Draco," she tilted her head to kiss him on his lips. "Honestly, would it kill you to learn their names?"

He tightened his grip around her waist, bringing her even closer to him. "Probably," he smiled as he returned his lips to her body. "Where's Scor?"

"Your mother wanted him for the night. She said something about the stars and how she needed to read his prophecy," she laughed.

"Ah yes, of course," he sighed. "I forgot that it's the first of the month." His mother had always had an obsession with all things Astrology. He could still remember her leading him by the hand up to their tower on the west side of the manor so that she could point out the numerous constellations. They would spend hours up there as she would tell him stories and origins of each one. As a child it had been fascinating to him, but now...well, he let her be and didn't at all care that she was doing the same with his own son. It had actually been his mother that had insisted on continuing her family tradition of astrological names, so when Hermione had birthed the newest heir, they had researched until they had the found the perfect one. It was an odd name, like his, but it's what made them unique. It's what made them powerful.

"How many have been eliminated?" she questioned between her throaty moans as his hands caressed her body. She curled into his touch, trapping him against the couch as their actions started to get more and more heated.

"Just one," he breathed. "We've just finished round one. Father and Severus are getting the next round ready...and the barrel as well for round three."

At his words, she withdrew from him slightly. "The barrel? You mean…"

He grinned at her, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair. "Yes, Father was very keen on listening to your suggestion. He thinks it'll be one of the best ones so far."

She beamed proudly. Little over a week ago he and Lucius had been in the study discussing possible dilemmas when she had walked in. Unlike Narcissa, she had never shied away from the topic of the dinner and if anything, she always enjoyed listening to how they would brainstorm. It had been her that casually suggested the usage of a barrel of water and the two of them were deeply intrigued by it. And now the dinner guest where only hours away from being tormented by it.

"Perhaps you're ready after all," he told her in all seriousness. He could actually picture her sitting next to him, silently looking on as the guests inflicted pain upon themselves. She wouldn't turn away, or grimace, or shudder in horror- she would actually bask it in and and look forward to the next round. It would be beautiful. She would be beautiful.

She laughed lightly, burying her head in the crook of his neck. "Next year," she promised him. "For now, I want to stay right here, waiting for you until after the game ends. And who knows," she playfully nipped at him, "maybe when you get back, I can do that little trick that you like so much."

He groaned, "Love, you torture me."

"And you love me beyond imaginable," she shot back at him, kissing him hard on the mouth. He smiled into the kiss, silently agreeing with her. "You need to go back. I refuse to be the reason why you're late...again."

He knew she was right but that didn't mean he had to like it. He kissed her one last time before he lifted her off of him and placed her back into the cushions of the luxury bed. "This is far from over," he whispered to her, winking as he closed the door behind him. As he went to turn around, he abruptly stopped as he eyed the guard that was only inches away from him. "Sir," the staff said, "I'm sorry to be bothering you, but I couldn't find your father. You wanted me to inform you if anything happened with the guests, and they've been talking."

Draco waited for more but apparently the guard was done. He sighed, waving his hand for the man to elaborate. "They were talking about obtaining a set of keys to escape."

That managed to draw a scoff from him. Did those fools really think they would be able to escape? How on earth could they be naive enough to think that they would be able to get ahold of a set of keys, then manage to outrun the armed guards, then navigate themselves out of the manor? It was ridiculous.

"Then let's go rile them up abit," he sneered. "Show them that they need to respect their superiors."

 

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

 

"Here comes another set right now," he heard the soft whisper of the redhead as he entered the dining room with a pair of guards on both sides of him.

He shoved his hands into his pockets, eyeing them all with a cruel smile on his lips. "Hello everyone. Games getting pretty intense already, huh," he stepped further into the room, switching his steel gaze to each individual.

"Why are you doing this?" Tracey pleaded with him.

He raised his eyebrows in amusement. "Why are you doing this?," he mimicked her.

Her eyes widened in disbelief. "You're fucking crazy," she muttered.

He let out a mixture of a scoff and a laugh at her words. If he could, he would've shot her himself. Who the hell did she think she was talking to? He walked around the right side of the table, making sure there was plenty of space between him and the other individuals just in case they tried anything foolish.

"You know," he began slowly, "you agreed to be here." He turned to face the woman, anger pouring out of him. "You're basically asking my family for free handouts, so the least you could do bitch, is show a little fucking respect!"

"Psycho. Little. Bitch," the redhead mumbled loud enough to where the other's heard. Draco whipped his head around, training his predatory gaze upon him. "Excuse me?" he challenged the man.

Ron stood up. "You heard me, bitch." He moved away from the table and made his way around to start walking towards Draco, attempting to be threatening. He pointed his oversized fingers at him, "How about you show us a little fucking respect! Huh?"

He rolled his eyes, his hands inside his pockets tightening into fists. "Ok, Ronald Weasley. Or do you like to go by Ron- it's not like I could give a damn." He pulled out one of his hands to point his finger back at the filth in front of him. "You're the soldier right?"

The redhead inclined his head in confusion.

"Let me personally be the one to thank you for your bravery and your service but, uhm, that being said," Draco shook his head in disappointment, "opening your mouth was a big mistake." He grinned one last time before turning on his heel and heading towards the door, ready to inform his father of the lovely conversation that just took place. Just as he was passing by, the door opened and in came the staff, each holding stacks of white tarps and curtains.

"Cover the walls and the area around the table," he ordered them. "My wife would hate it if this room got damaged in any way- it's one of her favorites."


	5. Chapter 5

When he reentered the room after talking with his father, he was practically giddy. He quickly made his way to his chair but not before smirking at Ron. The blasted redhead had no fucking idea what was heading his way, and it made him want to double over in uncontrollable laughter. This was going to be too good.

He could practically feel the anger that rolled off from his father in waves. Lucius had been outraged that one of the guests had the audacity to speak to his one and only son in such a foul way that he had to completely change up round two just so that Ron could be properly taken care of. His father never handled disobedience well, and by God, he was going to make sure the redhead paid greatly for his mistakes.

"Tracey," his father spoke out without wasting any time. "Would you rather stab Harry," Severus placed a sharp ice pick down in front of her, "or strike Ron three times with this African wiping staff?" This time Severus pulled out a long, brown leather with sharp pieces of shrapnel tied at the ends with tight wraps. Just looking at the damn thing made Draco want to recoil but he would never miss the opportunity of seeing the man that dared disrespect him. Ron deserved what was about to happen and Draco could barely hide his smile behind his hand.

"W-What?" Tracey cried out, looking down at the devices in horror.

"Oh God! They're going to kill us," Albus shouted in the background.

Lucius pretended that he didn't hear either of them. "A Sjambok is what the Zulu tribe of Africa called it. This particular delicacy was handed to me by their leader, and dear friend of mine, Shaka-upon hearing the news that I became a grandfather six months ago. They are quite admirable in their generosity, " he explained, moving his steel grey eyes from person to person.

"Three whips from that," Ron gestured towards the whip with his chin, "I can take it. If you stab him, you can kill him."

'It's going to hurt though," Harry whispered. "The Zulu were known for their torture methods and being ruthless warriors. If this is one of their toys...it's going to hurt like hell."

Draco scoffed loudly, shaking his head with a wicked smile in place. The whip was going to hurt like nothing he had ever felt before and it was definitely going to leave a few marks.

"Just get it over with," Ron reassured her, sending a brief glare in his direction. He stood up from his chair, taking off his jacket, as he rotated it to provide the girl easier access to his back.

"Sjambok it is," Lucius clasped his hands in anticipation. Tracey wasn't as steady as she slowly stood up, shaking from the revelation of what she was about to do.

"Now Tracey, you have to put your back into it," he pretended to whip at the air as if he had a Sjambok of his own to drive into someone's back. "There's no just tapping him, or else it doesn't count. And, uh, Ron," he leaned down to where he was eye leveled with the redhead, "this is going to hurt, so make yourself comfortable." He gave off a throaty laugh, sitting back down onto his chair.

Severus gripped the girl's hand, showing her how to properly do what needed to be done. "Across the back," he ordered her.

She let out a deep, shaky breath. "Ron..." she whimpered.

He nodded his head. "Go ahead Tracey. You have to play the game."

Draco tilted his head, reclining back into his chair as he got comfortable. He couldn't, for the love of God, wipe the amused smirk that stayed on his lips. He shook his head slowly, making sure his eyes never left the redhead.

Tracey turned her head slightly as she brought the whip down to pat against his back. Dragon rolled his eyes in annoyance. Hell, Scorpius could've hit Ron harder.

"No, no, no," Lucius tutted. "That won't count. Do it again, harder."

She released a rattled breath, bringing her elbow back to restart the motion of the whip. A load crack shattered through the air as Ron screamed in agony. A dark stripe of red started to appear through his white shirt as he hunched against the back of the chair.

Tracey had tears streaking down her face as she brought the whip down for a second time, everyone jumped as the thud caused Ron's chair to jolt. The third time was even better, much to Draco's satisfaction. The redhead now had his entire back soaked with his blood.

"Alright," Lucius grinned. "That was better than I thought it would be. It looked like it hurt, Ron."

"It did," came the painful whisper of the now bloodied redhead. He brought his gaze up to lock onto Lucius'. "But I've been through worse."

Draco's eyebrows skyrocketed into his hairline, quickly sending a pointed look towards his father. Lucius subtly shook his head in disbelief as he stared at Ron.

"Let's go onto the next shall we." Lucius kept his gaze on the redhead. "Harry, would you rather stab Tracey in the thigh," Severus slid the ice pick in front of him, "or give Ron three more strikes?" Ron's head snapped up to stare at his father with wide eyes.

"Oh, come on!" Harry yelled. Lucius absent mindedly repositioned the cuffs on his suit jacket, paying no attention to their pleas. Severus was the one who reached out to begin the clock.

For several long seconds Harry's emerald eyes shot between the ice pick and the whip, attempting to decide which of the two were the lesser evil. Draco tilted his head to the side as he watched the man fret. Surely he wouldn't stab a woman over someone as insignificant as the redhead.

"Look," Harry turned towards Ron. "It's a dangerous place to stab someone- there's a major artery there. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Ron slowly nodded his head. "I do. Let's just get it over with," he exhaled strongly.

Harry raised himself up, tightly gripping the whip in his hand.

"The Sjambok again," Lucius grinned. "Excellent choice."

Unlike when Tracey whipped Ron, Harry's swing cracked in the air at the brute force at which he swang. The noise was harsh to where even Draco jumped slightly. But he basked in the pain of the wretched pain. With each scream that escaped his unruly mouth, it caused his mouth to stretch in amusement.

Once it was over, Ron was feverishly dripping sweat. With clumsy hands, he reached up to loosen his cheap tie but it didn't hide the fact that he was shaking beyond imaginable.

Lucius was staring down into his wine glass, keeping his gaze away from the man to his right. "You're probably relieved to find out that it is your turn."

Ron hastily nodded his head. "Y-Yes...something l-like that."

Lucius bowed his head. "Alright then. As you said before, let's get it over with." He sent a quick smirk at Draco before returning his stare down into the liquid in his crystallized glass. "Ron, would you rather stab Harry- the man who just whipped you- or , drumroll please," he tapped his long, pale fingers against the wood, "take three more lashes- this time administered by Severus!"

Ron's head dropped down, his body heaving as he fought to breath. "I-I can't do this anymore."

At this point, Draco was grinning like a cheshire cat. The pain that the oaf in front of him must have been feeling was exhilarating to think about. That should show him, he figured. Although, he knew that the redhead's time was ticking dangerously close to his final hour.

He let out a harsh laugh as Ron started to bawl like a child- Lucius chuckling as well.

"I wonder why you're being singled out," Pansy snarled, banging her palms against the table.

Draco nodded his head, pointing his finger at her. "Hmm, one can only guess." He was now enjoying this beyond fathomable. He tilted his head to the side, "Do you know why Ron?"

The freckled face whimpered. "What the fuck is the matter with you people?" He let out a cry of anguish. "What did I ever do to you, huh? What!" He tore his gaze away Draco, and turned to Lucius. "Y-You said you just became a grandfather. How do you think your grandson-"

Draco shot up from his chair, slamming his fists down onto the table. "You will not talk about my fucking son, you pathetic bastard. He is no concern of yours or anyone else's at this damn table. Do you understand?"

At his silence, Draco stepped to the side ready to blow up on the man but he was quickly grabbed by one of the staff.

"Son," Lucius spoke softly. "Sit."

His chest was heaving as he locked eyes onto his father's. Lucius nodded his head, telling him to cooperate so that the game could continue. He was reluctant to do as he was told, still fighting the urge to beat the living hell out of the redhead for even daring to mention Scor, but he instead harshly shrugged out of the staff's hold and returned to his seat.

"Don't get too comfortable Weasel," he threatened, leaning forward so that he could have the last say, "you won't be making it out of this house alive- that I can guarantee you."

Ron paled even further, if it was even possible considering all of the blood he had already lost, and downcast his eyes upon the two instruments in front of him.

"If it isn't clear," Lucius cleared his throat, "no one else will be bringing up the topic of the Malfoy family. We are all here to play a game, so let's play. Ron," his father turned his pale head to the right, "we need your decision."

"Yeah," he threw his arms up in defeat. "The fucking whip. I'm not stabbing anybody," he turned his sea blue eyes to bore into the remaining guests. He ripped off his tie completely from his body and shoved it into his mouth.

Tracey sobbed in response. "We have to do something," she cried into Harry's ear. He appeared to snap out of whatever trance he was in and jumped into action by turning towards Lucius.

"Wait, wait!" he he held up his hands. "Ron...just stab me in the thigh," he held out the handle of the ice pick for the man to grab onto. "We can't watch this go on."

"I'm not stabbing anyone," came his muffled response, his mouth still clutching onto the tie.

Harry growled in frustration, "Ron, come on!"

"As admirable as this whole situation is, Harry," came Lucius' lazy drawl, "Ron has already made his choice and it is against the rules for him to change his mind."

"But I'm okay with it!"

Draco rolled his eyes. "He can't go back, his first choice is finalized."

"Just hold on a second," Harry turned towards him. "I said I'm okay with it!"

"No one fucking asked you if you were okay with it," Draco spat. "He's made up his mind and now he has to stick to it. Don't piss on my parade, you delusional fuck. I want to see this and you will certainly not be taking that away."

Ron appeared to have accepted his fate by now and grasped a hold of Harry's shoulder. "It's okay, really it is. It's okay," he brought up his gaze to stare into Draco's. "I hope this brings you the satisfaction that you need."

Draco sneered. "Oh, believe me, it will. It's not everyday that I get to see filth like you die in my own home. I like to think of it as a way of cleansing the world. There's enough poor sobs in the world so obviously you won't even be missed." He moved his gaze around the table. "None of you will be."

"It's just like life," Lucius spoke. "There's no do overs." Ron's eyes fluttered as he fought back the tears. With one quick nod of his head, he turned and gestured towards Severus to start. Just as the butler picked up the whip, Draco wanted to add just a bit more ire to the whole situation. "Make it hurt, Sev. I want Hermione to hear his cries."

The man dressed in all black curled his lips in an amused smile before swinging his arm at a speed that made the other individuals suck in a breath of air as they awaited for the whipping.

The contact that the whip made with Ron's blood soaked back was enough to send stray specks splatting against the grey suit jacket that Harry had on, and the curtain clad backdrop behind them. The next hit was harder, spraying even more blood across the curtains, and then finally the third. Severus made sure to send the leather strap flying at a different angle to where it hit skin that hadn't been touched yet. As the last hit was finalized, Ron's body went slumping down onto the table.

"Ron. Ron. Ron," Draco scolded him in a mock tone, slowly rubbing his hand across his chin. He narrowed his eyes as Harry went rushing to the redhead's side. God could the man be more annoying? He definitely needed to get eliminated as well, and fast.

"Hey," he hesitantly touched his shoulder. Ron recoiled away from the touch, heaving into his arms as he kept his head down. "He's in trouble," Harry turned to inform Draco...as if he cared. "He needs medical attention."

Draco cocked an eyebrow. "And you're telling me this why? What makes you think I give a damn about what he needs? If I were in any of your spots," he skimmed his gaze across the table, "I would want to take out the competition. Which, if any of you have forgotten, is everyone sitting in this room."

Harry huffed and turned back to the head of the table. "Sir, please. He can't make it much longer if we leave him like this."

"The rules are the rules, Harry." Lucius firmly said. 'And now we must continue. Certainly we can't be here into all hours of the night. So, Neville," he rotated his body to the left, "I believe it's your turn. You know the drill by now. The pick or give Ron three more."

Neville's gaze stayed staring at his hands that were molded together as if he were silently praying. "If I say the pick who does it have to be?"

Lucius shook his head, reaching for the clock. "I'm sure you've already worked the angles on that, haven't you?"

"Well, I don't want to stab anyone," he addressed to no one in particular, "I'm not Mister Manners or anything...but I think there's some common decency considerations here-."

"Thirty seconds," Lucius started the clock causing Neville to gasp.

"-On the other hand Ron is in real bad shape," he turned to face Albus next to him, "so we can't really hit him anymore, can we? Honestly Albus, you're paralyzed, right?" He grabbed ahold of the ice pick, staring at it as if it were some cursed object. "You're leg wouldn't feel this anyway."

Albus cried out. "No, please. Please, you can't do this."

Neville sighed. "If I whip him with this thing he's going to die! And besides," he turned to bore his gaze into the others. "Haven't we've been saying this whole time that we have to work together?"

His remark seemed to calm the remaining guests enough to where they seemed okay with the idea of watching the poor old man get stabbed. Hell, Draco even watched the old bastard shake his head in confirmation too.

"You're going to have to take one for the team, Albus. I'm sorry, I truly am." He grasped the ice pick and motioned it closer to the man in the wheelchair. "Just close your eyes…"

Harry stuck his hand out across the table. "In and then out. Okay? Don't push it too far."

Neville nodded his head, taking a deep, shaky breath. He held onto the ice pick with both hands and with one quick lift, he dove the sharp metal into the elderly's thigh. He quickly pulled it out, but when he did his eyes went wide in horror. "Oh shit.." he jumped as Albus gasped. "I-I-I think I h-hit that a-artery…"

"Do you have a belt?" Harry demanded as he nearly lunged across the able.

"You need to tie it tight," Tracey's feminine voice echoed out. It appeared that Harry and Tracey were the only two that gave a damn whether or not Albus bled to death. Draco noted that Pansy was actually paying more attention to her black nails than the bleeding man next to her, and Remus was darting his eyes to the side, eyeing Ron's barely breathing body on the floor.

Somehow Draco had missed it when the redhead had tumbled. He had probably been too fascinated that Neville actually chose to stab Albus. Surely, he thought that he would've chosen to whip Ron another three times. It's what he would've done if he had been in their place.

Neville stood up to pull his belt off and secured it onto the man's leg. "You're okay, you'll be okay," he sounded as if he was trying to reassure himself more than Albus. "You're okay. Can we not take here to a hospital or something? This isn't good!" he yelled as he fumbled with the buckle.

"People," Lucius sighed heavily. "We're playing a game," he emphasized as if he were talking to a bunch of half-wit children. "Albus! It's your turn. Now would you rather whip Ron or give your neighbor, Pansy, a quick jab to the thigh?"

The old man looked to be fading fast. The little color that he had, had already started to drain from his face and he appeared to be dazed. "What?" he asked Lucius, apparently not properly hearing the question.

"Can we not give her a second?" Neville begged, fumbling with the belt even more than before.

"What's going on?" Harry asked with furrowed brows.

Neville sighed harshly. "Is the damn tourniquet suppose to go above or below the-"

"ABOVE! ABOVE!" Harry yelled. "MY GOD! TIGHTEN IT!"

"I got it, I got it!"

"Albus has not made a decision yet!" Lucius shouted above the chaos that was unfolding. "Albus! Ron or Pansy?!"

Albus quickly grabbed the pick and jammed it into Pansy's leg causing her to violently react by elbowing him in the face on impulse. "You asshole!" she screamed out. "You fucking stabbed me! Look at what you've done!"

The other individuals around the table had their mouths hung open as they looked at Pansy in disbelief.

Lucius stood up from the table, walking around to get a better view of the man as he clutched at his bleeding nose. "Albus," he breathed in astonishment. "Stupendous! Then come to think of it," he let out a laugh, "he didn't have another choice. He couldn't whip Ron even if he wanted to since he can't walk." He smiled in amusement, continuing his pace until he was next to Draco, moving his hawk-like gaze onto Pansy. "Let's change things up alittle bit. Pansy," Severus silently moved to stand behind her, "Would you rather whip Ron or," his stormy grey eyes glanced around ruthlessly, "stab any player of your choosing?"

Pansy slowly turned her head to glare at Albus before facing the other individuals on the opposite side of the table. "In case any of you haven't figured this out yet, this game isn't about helping each other." She quickly snatched up the ice pick from the table and stood up. "It's about eliminating the rest of you people." Her black combat boots clanked across the wooden floor as she looked for her victim. Draco could see it in her eyes that she was out for blood. She, like him, wanted this game to pick up its pace and she didn't care what it took to do so.

"This one's probably going to bleed to death," she jutted her chin at Albus. "And so is that one," she glanced at Ron's body, visibly shuddering at the site. She slowly made her way around the table, the pick firmly clutched in her hands, as she passed by each person.

"Duck," she whispered, pointing it behind Remus for a fraction of a second before continuing on.

"Duck," she passed Tracey, but he saw her steps hesitate as she stood behind Harry. She sneered dangerously, spinning on the ball of her foot, to go back to Tracey.

"Goose." She raised an eyebrow as she looked down at the sobbing mess Tracey had become.

"Hold on a second," Harry jumped up from his seat. But Severus was quick to push him back down, firmly planting the barrel of the gun next to his ear. Pansy sent him an unimpressed look before turning back to Tracey.

"She's made her decision," Lucius boomed out, a defiant twinkle in his eyes as the scene unfolded before him.

Pansy brought the ice pick closer to Tracey. "You know, I really don't like you or your stupid boyfriend," she spat.

"Don't do this," Tracey turned around to confront her. "Please don't do this."

But apparently Pansy wasn't in the mood to hear her pleas. She sneered, turning to the head of the table with a malice smile on her face. "Can I stab her anywhere?"

Her question shocked his father, him too if he were being honest, and Draco couldn't help as his brows shot into his skyline. "That's a new one," he mumbled.

"Indeed it is, son," Lucius agreed. His father appeared to be lost in thought before gesturing towards him. "Draco how about you decide on this one."

Pansy's head whipped around to face him, her gaze humorous beyond doubt as Tracey's sobs still shot across the room. For a split second Draco wanted to say no, that she had to play the same way as the others did, but then with a cruel sneer he remembered when Tracey had called him, and he quote, 'fucking psycho'. Now it was her turn to be punished. Funny, really, how fate ended up.

He scoffed. "Well Tracey," he laughed, "looks like there's an even bigger 'fucking psycho' in the room and unfortunately for you she seems to have a bloodlust that only you can compensate for. As for where to stab her, Pansy, how about.." he glared at the sobbing mess "...anywhere from the shoulders down."

Just as the words died from his mouth, Pansy jabbed the ice pick into Tracey's side causing her to scream out at the contact.

Lucius let out a mock shudder as Tracey clung to her side in desperation to stop the bleeding. Harry, the forever saint, was holding her to his body whispering soothing nothings in her ear.

Draco couldn't help but share an amused chuckle with his father as Pansy tiptoed back to her seat, a wicked grin across her face as if she had deliberately done something wrong...which, in a horrible way, she had. They all had.

Their humor was short lived however, as a sudden fit of coughing filled the air. They all turned to watch as Ron's body heaved over and over until it stopped and the room turned deathly quiet.

Draco's head tilted back, laughter spilling out uncontrollably. He knew that Ron had to have suffered greatly and really it was his own damn fault. If he had kept his fucking fat mouth shut then he would more than likely still be breathing. If Ron had stayed silent and chosen not to give him the utmost disrespect he had ever seen before, then the other guests would have taken turns savagely whipping each other across the back and not even sparing a glance at the ice pick. It would have been a domino effect. Albus would have never been stabbed, and that would have resulted in the old man never returning the favor to Pansy, which would have led to sparing Tracey. So really, everything would have ran much smoother if they had just whipped the living hell out of Ron.

Lucius motioned for Severus to check on the bleeding man. It was silent as the butler bent down and placed his long pale fingers on Ron's throat. "Remarkable," he whispered. "He's still alive."

Draco rolled his silver eyes in annoyance. Could he not just die? God the blasted thing already took nine whips across his back, and more than half of his blood was seeped onto the white tarps. If he wasn't dead now, it wouldn't take that long until the job was done. Apparently he was going to have to play the waiting game, and much to his ire, he never liked to wait.

"G-Guys…" Neville's shaky voice rang out. "Albus h-hasn't moved in a while."

Lucius scoffed. "You stabbed an old man, Neville. What did you expect?"

Neville's eyes widened as he took in Lucius' words, understanding that it was because of him that the elder had his head slumped into his chest and hadn't clearly moved in the last five minutes. "A-Albus? Albus!," he gripped at the dying man's shoulders. "I t-think he's unconscious…"

Severus strolled around to the other side of the table, tilting back Albus' head. Once again he placed his fingers underneath her chin, looking for the slightest sign of life. "He's not unconscious," he explained emotionless. "He's dead."

The guests gasped in utter shock, Tracey bringing her head down onto the table while Neville's mouth opened and closed as if he were a fish out of water. Draco only shook his head, his eyes staring down at Neville in disappointment. The sodding fool should've just whipped Ron like he was suppose to do.

One of the staff members pulled Albus' body away from the table and wheeled him away. The poor bastard…

"You guys saw what happened," Neville said behind his trembling hand. "I-I tried to help him, really I did!"

"Oh yes," Lucius fayed his understanding. "We all saw what happened. You made a decision and now there's a consequence that Albus just happened to take."

"Could've just whipped the dying fuck face," Draco sneered. "Don't act like he's going to be walking out of this house alive."

"Son," Lucius warned.

Draco shrugged, his brows momentarily furrowing. "What? Even they know it's true. Look at him, all of you! He is going to die on this floor and I am going to enjoy every single fucking moment of it. But no…" he shook his pale blonde head, "keep sticking to your pathetic little pack mentality, because after all only one of you is leaving this place alive. Might as well make friends with each other in your last few moments," he drawled in sarcasm, bringing his gaze down onto his whiskey glass in front of him. He could tell that they had actually listened to what he had said, and it made him feel so damn good. He was really getting the hang of this...game and it wouldn't be that much longer until it was he that would sit at the head of the table in his father's spot. It would be he that would run this little...occasion. He would be the one to make the calls, and who was selected to be here, and what type of dilemmas they would pull out to unleash on the guest. But...as his mind started to race with the possibilities, he didn't envision this dinner reception that his father was so keen on hosting. He really didn't care for the hospitality portion of the evening, and it wouldn't take much to completely rearrange the game to be in his benefit. Hell, he didn't even need to let the guests choose what they wanted because he could pick for them. He always liked power and making people do things that they didn't want to do...well, it was like a drug for him. Even now as he watched the people squirm in their seats he knew that it wasn't enough. Sure what they were experiencing might be...outside the norm...but it could be much, much worse. He wondered if Hermione would join him, and bask in everything that would unfold. He could picture her sweet, naive eyes as they took in the blood and shined in excitement. She would be right there with him, sitting in his lap as they watched each individual drop dead like flies, one after another until there was only one. He never understood why his father had been so set on letting the survivor go because that could only lead to trouble. Someone could rat them out and cause suspicion but that would be to the extent it would go. The Malfoys had one rule and that was to never touch any of the guests in the case of being caught but really, if all individuals were eliminated then there would be no reason for suspicion to arise. Perhaps it was time for change after all…

"Remus, it's your turn to make your choice," Lucius' voice snapped him out of daze. The elder Malfoy's head turned to look pitifully at the ground. "Finish off Ron, here, or...stab Harry."

The man shook his head, keeping his gaze glued to the table top. "Stab Harry like the others? Like Albus?" his jaw was trembling.

"Okay," Harry sighed. "Let's get it over with."

Again, Draco's head dipped back in aggravation, rotating his neck muscles that had suddenly gone tense. All he wanted was for Ron to die. Was that too much to fucking ask for?

"Maybe Pansy's right," the man forced out, "eliminate a player. That's what all of this is about."

"No, Remus! Pansy is crazy-"

Remus' gaze snapped to Harry's, bewilderment filled in his orbitals. "Crazy? You seriously think she's crazy?" he whispered in a deadly tone. "She's the only sane one here! His own son," Remus jabbed his thumb in Draco's direction, "is telling us that we're being pathetic! Only one of us get's out of here! I have a son for Christ's sakes!"

Harry shook his head in desperation. "Remus, I'm giving you your choice. Please, just take it!"

"I've already made my choice," he whispered solemnly. "And I'm sorry for it." Without listening to anyone else, the man stood up with the whip loosely placed in his palm.

"Remus please…" Tracey begged. "Don't do this."

"This is murder!" Harry yelled, trying to stop him by grabbing ahold of his hand.

Remus shook of his grasp and made his way, hesitantly, to Ron's body on the floor. Draco had to crane his neck so that he could properly watch as the whip came down in one fluid motion to strike the redhead once more. Then again. And then again. With sickening delight, Draco noted that Ron hadn't reacted to the last two whips.

"Nicely done," he let out a long impressed whistle."Move him out Severus!" There was no doubt in his mind, nor anyone else's, that Ron was finally dead. He had paid for his disrespect and in a very enjoyable manner. He wanted to reach out and strike Tracey and Harry for being the one's who prolonged the waiting, but in the end he had gotten what he had wanted. He always did.

Lucius stood up, grinning at the remaining individuals before clasping his hands together to applaud them. "Well," he said, "on to the next round."

From Draco's left came Remus' soft voice. "It had to be done...It had to be.."

Lucius had stepped to the side with Severus, both whispering to each other as they apparently discussed the next round from across where Draco was sitting. He honestly couldn't care less what they were saying because he was focused on the hidden conversation between Harry and Tracey. He couldn't make out what they were saying but he saw her nod her head before Harry did the same to Remus and the other two across the table. Draco narrowed his eyes getting ready to intervene when suddenly Harry banged his hands on the table and shouted, "Now!"

Then everything blurred as chaos unfolded. Sweet, marvelous chaos.


	6. Chapter 6

He hardly understood what was happening as he was being shoved under the table by Severus' rough hands. One second they had all been preparing for the next round, then the next everyone was flying around the room trying to get to the door.

Harry had lunged at the nearest staff, and it was with the help of Remus and a quick whip to the back of the guard's legs that brought him down. The staff had fallen roughly down to the ground inches from where Draco was shielded from underneath the table. He could see his father's legs from the other side of the room where no one was but he couldn't see where the other guests where except for Neville and Pansy. Neither of them had gotten very far before they were grabbed by the other guards.

One thing he did know, however, was that he was pissed. Beyond pissed to where he was seeing red. This so far had been the messiest, uncontrollable group that they had so far and it was really starting to grate on his nerves. They all deserved a quick bullet to their thick skulls.

He could still hear the guards and the guests fighting with each other as a mixture of groans and screams filled the air. He could hardly believe that he was on the floor to begin with, but nothing held him back from crawling across the length of the table to stand by his father, who he knew had a gun. As cowardice as he appeared, he was doing it for his own safety. He didn't have a weapon nor did he know if the ice pick was still laying around somewhere alongside the whip. Besides, he had a wife and child that were expecting him at the end of the night. Now was not the time or place to start acting like...fucking Harry Potter. He was going to do everything in his bloody power to stay breathing, so crawling it was.

It was only until he got a few more feet closer to Lucius that he turned his head to look behind him. Tracey was underneath one of the guards restlessly trying to break free but the staff had a firm hand clasped around her neck. He could see a mixture of legs near the door but he couldn't really make out who it was or who had the upper hand. Neville and Tracey were still being held at bay with the guns pointed at their heads. He heard the distinct whip slash through the air followed by a firm thump as something hit the ground again. As his mercury eyes caught sight of it being one of the guards, he pulled himself up from the table to stand next to Lucius. His father had the gun out and ready for the smallest step to even come in their direction. And, as predictable as this stupid group was, it's exactly what Remus did. It was he that had the whip secured in his hands and there was no mistaking the look of pure hatred in his eyes as he quickly stepped towards them.

His father showed no mercy, shooting Remus square above the heart. The man had instantly dropped to the floor, the whip rolling out of his hand to lay next to his body. Draco watched with heart-racing fascination as the dark red liquid spilled from the man's chest and mouth.

"Get back," Lucius pointed the gun towards each individual, "everyone back to your chairs. Now! Everyone back to the table!"

Slowly, they all wobbled back to their seats, eyeing the gun that was in Lucius' hand.

"Well," Draco sneered, smoothing out his suit jacket and pants. "That was some unexpected excitement. Wasn't it?"

"Where's Harry?" Lucius looked to Severus in confusion.

He could physically feel the tightness in his chest as he absorbed his father's words. He snapped his stormy gaze to the dining room doors and he suddenly wasn't sneering anymore. The two guards that had been guarding them were now on the floor both clutching at different wounds that they had acquired. He marched around the table, no longer caring if he was in danger because he was looking, desperately searching for the ice pick that was nowhere to be found. "Severus! Where the fuck is he!" he screamed.

The poor butler appeared to be lost, just as he had been, but it didn't stop Draco from feeling an uncontrollable amount of rage towards the man. Severus was the one in charge of the staff. It was he that was suppose to make sure the night ran smoothly. So now, it would be he that took the blame.

"Go find him!" he yelled again, feeling the small strings of his patience snap in half.

The man in all black nodded his head furiously, switching his dark eyes onto the remaining guards. "Stay here and keep watch!"

"Bring him back to the game!" Lucius ordered as he watched Severus turn to exit.

The doors locked behind him, and Draco still couldn't suppress the outrage that was on his face. He banged his fists on the table, "Listen here all of you," he glared at them. "If any of you try that again, I swear that we will make you beg for death. I will personally make sure that you are kept alive for days or weeks upon end if any of you pathetic pieces of shit try that again. Just wait-" His mouth clamped shut, slowly turning his head to the door. He could have sworn that he had heard…

His eyes widened in panic suddenly becoming cruelly aware that Hermione was in their section of the house. "Father, I need to go," he quickly charged at the doors.

"Draco, where-"

"Hermione's upstairs!" He yelled, not turning back to hear the rest of his father's words. The guards slid the doors open as he passed, and he heard the distinct noise of the thick doors locking into place. For once in his life, he despised just how big Malfoy Manner was. He knew that the side where Scor and Narcissa were was locked and guarded, but it didn't give him any comfort in any way knowing that nothing was more dangerous than a man trying to survive.

He tried to imagine where he would go if he were in someone's shoes like Harry. Surely, he wouldn't have gone upstairs...but then again, if he was looking for a place to hide then it would be perfect. It was secluded, dark, quiet- just the perfect place for lying low until the chance to escape came about. Throughout his years he had never been one to get scared easily, but nothing had ever felt as painful as this moment- knowing that Hermione was upstairs, alone, while some stranger that would surely strike upon impulse, was armed. There was an icy chill that ran throughout his body and it pushed him into a sprint. He had climbed their grand staircase by taking two steps at a time, and by the time he had reached the room where Hermione had been earlier, he was panting heavily. Nothing, however, could've prepared him for the pure panic that sent his senses into overdrive as he opened the door and found the room empty.

 

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

 

(Harry's POV)

He could hear his heartbeat through his ears, pumping and pounding against his chest as he tried desperately to get his breathing under control. He needed to stay quiet as much as possible or else they would find him and drag him back to that hell hole. He couldn't believe that he had managed to escape that god awful room, but now was not the time to relax. If anything, this part was going to be harder considering he didn't know where he was or where any of the exits were located. He knew it wouldn't be long until the guards would be right behind him so he needed to hurry, he needed to find someplace to hide and fast! He charged up the staircase checking each door that he passed. Much to his horror all of the ones that he had tried were locked and wouldn't budge open even the slightest. Curse these bloody rich manors!

He came to an abrupt stop as he crossed the hall, seeing a faint flickering light from underneath the door frame. He hesitated with his hand on the knob debating if he should enter or not. At this point he couldn't just loiter in the hall, nor could he rush back down the stairs because surely by now the guards were looking for him. He took a deep breath, quietly opening the door to find a room with a steady fire going. He tiptoed as lightly as he could, darting his eyes across the room to see even the smallest sign of life. Thankfully, it appeared the room was empty...now where to hide-

His head snapped to the side as he heard the side door open, making him duck behind one of the elegant couches in front of the fireplace. He held his breath as he saw a woman, with long brown curls in a loose white blouse and tan skirt. She was breathtakingly gorgeous and young, appearing to be only a few years below him. He silently watched her as she ran her slim fingers through her hair, definitely not missing the large stone on her left index finger that sparkled as the light hit it. She must've been the son's wife… How in God's name could such a beautiful woman belong to such a monster? And then to give birth to the next heir? It was gut wrenching to think about the type of person she could be but he needed her help. She was bound to know how to get out of this place, and it wasn't as if could choose who to approach. Afterall, beggars couldn't be choosers.

He waited until she sat on the couch with her back towards him that he made his move. He lifted himself up to be head level with her, and he glanced down to see that she was reading a book of some sort. He knew he had to act fast so in one fluid motion he brought his hand up to cover her mouth before she could let out a startled scream. For theatrics he regretfully raised up the ice pick to point it at her throat.

"If you make a sound, I promise I will do it," he whispered urgently into her ear. "Get up." He kept ahold of her as she obeyed his command, haphazardly climbing over the back of the couch to make sure she couldn't get out of his grasp. He made his way to stand in front of her, staring deep into her frightened brown orbitals. Dear God, she was even more gorgeous up close. How was such a pompous ass like Mr. Malfoy's son lucky enough to keep such a goddess? It wasn't bloody fair!

"If you scream, I won't hesitate to drive this into your throat." he kept his gaze locked onto her's making sure she was understanding the magnitude of his lies. He would never harm the woman in front of him even if she was as vile as her husband, which he doubted considering she wasn't having any part in the activities that had been held downstairs. Perhaps she was good and would actually be willing to help him…

"I need you to get me out of here, do you understand? I want you to take me to the nearest exit, and you will do it. Got it?" He lowered his hand from her mouth but stayed on his toes just in case he needed to pounce her again. He let the ice pick fall from her throat down to point it at her stomach, gesturing at her to start walking.

She took a deep breath as she stepped toward one of the doors to the side "Please...you don't have to do this," she whispered to him, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. "I have a son, please don't-"

"I don't fucking care," he seethed. "Your husband is nothing but a sick monster just like his fucking father. Your son will grow up to be just like them so don't try to make me feel sorry for it. It means nothing to me!"

He heard her breath catch in her throat at his harsh words. For a split second he wanted to apologize for saying such cruel words about a mere baby but now was not the time for his bloody conscience to start dictating his actions. He needed to fucking survive, not coddle the woman...no matter how beautiful she was.

He made sure she walked ahead of him as they crossed the door. Wherever they were it was dark and he could hardly see but he wasn't going to risk turning the lights on. She led him through two more doors which were equally both as dark, and he was surprised to find a staircase that led downstairs. Before she could step one foot on the first step he grabbed her roughly by the upper arm. "Where does it lead?" he whispered to her.

She turned her head to him. "Down to the basement. There's a window that you can climb through...all of the other doors are being guarded by the staff."

He saw her gaze flicker from the stairs to the ice pick in his hand. There was no mistaking the terror that he could see in her eyes, and he lowered the weapon in his grasp. He felt bad for ever pointing it at her and if it had been any other occasion he would have treated her as kindly as he treated any other woman. Hell, probably would've flirted with her too."I just want to get out of here," he sighed. "You have no idea what I've been through and what I have seen. Just, please, get me out of here."

She silently nodded her head, not once bringing her head up to look at him. He clenched his jaw, nudging her forward to continue walking.

As they climbed down the two flights of stairs, he was amazed at how huge their basement was. In reality, it hardly looked anything like a basement and more like a third floor just underground. He could tell that no one really went down there and that it probably served as a staff quarters or something equally as unimportant (to the Malfoy family at least).

"Do you love him?" he blurted out before he could stop himself. He didn't know why, but he just really needed to know. He watched as her steps slowed down before she turned to fully look at him. Her eyes were wide and doe-eyed appearing as if she were a sweet angel sent to rescue him.

"Excuse me?"

He met her gaze with no hesitation. "I said, do you love him? Your husband. Do you love him?"

Her elegant brows furrowed slightly, "Why else would I have married him?"

Harry could only shrug at her retort. "There's a lot of reasons why you could've married him. Knowing him, he probably forced you to. Probably did the same with you having his child. No sane person would sit back and let those two fucks do whatever the hell they pleased to us. It's horrifying what they've made us do!"

She flinched as his voice escalated into a near yell. Her eyes darted to the sides before looking upward. It appeared that she was calculating what to do, as if she were running out of precious time. She let out a long, shuddering breath, running her fingers through her long locks. "You're right…" she breathed. "You're right. There's no way a sane person could sit back and do nothing. But, I'm helping you, aren't I?! Shouldn't that be enough for you? What-!"

He rushed forward to clasp his hand over her mouth, cursing at the level she had gotten. He waited several long seconds to see if they had been compromised, straining his ears for even the slightest sound. He sighed in relief releasing her, "If you do that again -"

He immediately stopped talking as the sound of a door opened and closed too close for comfort. He reached out again, taking ahold of her body to shield himself behind her as he pulled the two of them into a nearby corner. He could feel as she tensed in his hold, but then she started to try and wiggle herself out of his arms. He was failing miserably at trying to secure her mouth, while at the same time keeping her still. She was thrashing against his hold, desperately fighting to get free. She was starting to call out from behind his hand, and he knew just then that they had been found. He heard the footsteps get louder until he caught the sight of a pair of brown slacks standing at the base of the stairs on the opposite side of the hall. He could feel his heart drop as the barrel of a gun was lowered and pointed in their direction. He wielded up the ice pick again, making sure that it was trained on the woman.

But then, a head ducked down and an elder voice called out. "Mr. Potter is that you?"

He let out a deep breath of relief as Dr. Slughorn came into view. "Yes, yes! Please help!" Just then he doubled over as the Malfoy woman sent her elbow flying into his abdomen. She rushed out of his arms and flung herself towards the doctor.

"Horace, you need to kill this man! He tried to escape..." her voice died out as she became aware that the gun was aimed solely at her. As if testing him, she stepped to the side gasping in horror as the gun followed her movement. "H-Horace, you're a friend...you...were at my wedding...what are you doing?"

The doctor frowned, shaking his head gently. "Hermione, my dear, this has nothing to do with you. I can't keep letting Lucius and Draco take my patients for this game, I refuse to stay quiet any longer. And for that, I am sorry but this must end. I need to get Harry out of here. Please forgive me-"

Both of them flinched as a gunshot sounded through the room. The woman had let out a short scream as the body of Dr. Slughorn thumped lifelessly onto the floor. He had desperately tried to lunge for her, to shield his body with hers, but she was quick to get out of his reach. He held out the ice pick as if it could save his life, and locked his gaze onto the two individuals in front of the staircase. Oh, how he wished it would've been him that had been shot dead instead of the good doctor. Perhaps then he wouldn't have to look at Satan himself and the greasy butler. Death would've seemed like paradise compared to what he knew was coming for him.

 

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

 

(Draco's POV)

He stepped around from behind Severus as the man in black lowered the firearm. He kept his silver gaze locked only on what mattered, and he opened his arms up to capture her in his embrace as she flew into him. He pulled her against his body as closely as he could, to the point where he could feel her rapid heartbeat thumping against her rib cage.

Alive.

It hurt him to see and feel how terrified she was all because of the sodding man. She was practically vibrating as she clutched onto him as if her life depended on it and all he could do was tighten his arms around her, locking her petite body in his clutches. It was such a relief to see that she was alright. For the past long, handful of minutes he had been tormented at the ideas that had ran through his head on the possibilities of what Harry could do to her. Besides the slight complication during the delivery of Scor, and that one time she had been hospitalized for the flu long before they were married, he had never been as panicked as he was during these present moments. He buried his head into her hair, murmuring apology after apology into her ear. She should've never been put into this situation and he felt like driving his fist into the wall in anger at everything that had happened. He could've lost her! He could've found her dead, lying motionless on the floor in a puddle of blood with the fucking ice pick lodged inside of her body, or she could have been shot by that traitorous doctor if they hadn't gotten there in time. His clenched his fists as he brought his murderous gaze to stare at Harry. "Severus, take him back up to my Father. He's not done playing the game yet."

The butler rushed past him, not once letting his guard down as he made Harry throw the ice pick across the hall, grabbing him roughly by his jacket as he led him back to the opposite stairwell. He didn't pull away from her until he heard the door close on the next level up, scanning her from head to toe to detect even the slightest scratch.

"What did he do?" he had to speak through gritted teeth. "Love," he gently used his fingers to bring her chin up to look at him, "Tell me."

"H-he didn't do anything...he just wanted me to get him out. I was trying to stall as long as possible, but he had that...that…"

"It's okay, I'm here now," he reassured her, planting soft kisses along the side of her face. "You're safe and that's all that matters. You will never have to see that man ever again."

She shook her head, the soft unshed tears making her eyes glisten like amber jewels. "I want to see him die," she whispered to him, bringing her hands up to capture his lips in a solid kiss. "He said cruel things about Scor and you, and Lucius. I didn't know if he was going to stab me one moment or the next and then Horace…" she furrowed her head into the crook of his neck. She took several deep breaths, inhaling his scent. "I want to join the game. I need to see him die, Draco please."

He could feel his heart starting to race at the idea of her sitting next to him at the table like he fantasized year after year. He would never deny her anything but the timing...well, it just made him unsure of the whole situation. "Are you sure? If you want we can both go upstairs to our room and forget this night ever happened. Tomorrow, we can take the jet first thing in the morning to anywhere you want. Just you, me, and Scor. How does that sound?" His silver gaze searched hers, trying hard to find anything that wasn't normal. Beside the slight frazzled look she had, she still appeared to be in her right state of mind.

She nodded her head slowly. "I want this. I'll be okay, I promise. I just need to see him go during the game. He deserves it, Draco. He could've killed me and I would've never seen you or Scor again. Please, let me be there."

He locked his fingers in her hair, pulling her head to him so that he could kiss her feverishly in response. He basked in the warmth of her mouth knowing damn well that if he had found her unbreathing and lifeless, he would have never had this moment with her again. In that moment he was so overcome with the need to make love to her to show her how important she was to him, but he knew that he needed to oblige by her wishes. If she truly wanted to see Harry's death, then he wouldn't dare refuse it.

He pulled back from her, nodding his head at her. "Your wish is my command, love." He grasped ahold of her hand, bringing it to his mouth, as he led the two of them back to the faux dining room for the night.

As they approached he was surprised to find Lucius talking outside of the room with Severus. However, once his father caught sight of them he instantly closed the space between them. "Hermione, sweetheart, is everything okay?" His father may have been talking to Hermione but he still sent Draco a confirming nod, his silver eyes scrutinizing them both as closely as possible.

"Father, Hermione will be joining us for the remainder of the evening," he spoke up after Hermione silently nodded her head at Lucius. "Severus, go and make the new arrangements and make sure that her chair is placed on my right. I don't want her anywhere near that fucking twat." The butler rushed away, always eager to please, and Lucius grinned at her.

"I would expect nothing less. Whenever you're ready, tell us when to continue."

She took a short, deep breath, leaning into his side as she set her gaze on their patriarch. "I'm ready."


	7. Chapter 7

The second the doors opened up he could hear as the remaining guests silenced immediately. Their short lived break was over, and he could see the dread that filtered across their faces. Lucius walked in first making his way to the other side of the room, with he took his sweet time with Hermione behind him. He had kept his arm draped across her shoulders, and as they positioned themselves in their chairs, he made sure his leg was flush against hers. He wasn't blind to the way the remaining four individuals perked up at seeing the new face but it was clear that they understood not to look for too long. They had apparently gotten his unspoken message and knew that she was his wife and that she was without a doubt untouchable in every aspect. He kept his narrowed gaze trained solely on Harry, challenging him to even glance in her direction.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Lucius spoke out. "I'm sure none of you will mind that my daughter-in-law will be with us for the remainder of the evening. This is her first time so please, don't hold anything back. As we move into the third round, I want you each to understand that the stakes will be raised even higher than the last round. We will continue, and I hope that each of you will remember to stay on your best behavior."

Pansy shook her head, "That's it? Why is that bastard allowed to stay here after he nearly got all of us killed? It was those two," she flung her black painted finger to point at Tracey and Harry accusingly, "that caused the that stupid little fight! They need to be punished!"

"Crazy girl actually has a point," Neville mumbled, sending a quick glare in Harry's direction.

His father banged his fist on the table. "This is my game. Mine. I make the decisions here. Keep your petulant mouth shut." He pointed at Harry barely glancing at the man, "He will play. My son has made that final. This game will continue!" He straightened up, pulling the edges of his suit jacket down before he turned to Severus. "Onto the next round. Now," he clasped his hands in front of him, "as each of you were deciding to accept our invitation to play the game, you were in essence making a choice between the known and the unknown. You could continue to deal with your problems- the known- or possibly solve your problems in the unknown- our game. This round," he gestured at the staff near the door, "uses that same concept."

The doors of the dining room slid open and a large barrel was being rolled in. From beside him, he reached out to squeeze Hermione's knee as she took in her idea being prepared for usage. She gave him a sly smile, basking in the proud look on both his and Lucius' face.

"What's that for?" Neville sent an unimpressed glance in it's direction. "Are you going to let us clean up the mess we've made?"

Draco was quick to scoff at the sod, quietly chuckling at his far fetched guess.

"No, Neville, I'm sorry to disappoint," Lucius shook his head humorously at the man to his left. "This particular barrel of water idea was actually given to me," he softly held out a praising hand toward Hermione, "by my wonderful daughter-in-law, Hermione."

Draco turned his head to the side to watch as she grinned at the acknowledgement. He grabbed ahold of her hand and pulled it toward his mouth to place a quick kiss on its smooth surface.

"So you can all thank her during this next round. It's going to be...quite the treat." Lucius smiled at them. "Envelopes," Severus started slapping small card-like placards with the Malfoy crest on display in front of each individual, "are being placed randomly in front of each of you. They each contain a card with a punishment on them. Some of them," he grimaced," are quite harsh while others are relatively harmless. Each of you must decide between what lies inside the envelope or the barrel. The known," Lucius tapped on the table top, "or the unknown."

Draco watched as Harry shook his head slowly, staring down at his hands that were folded on the table. "What's with the barrel?"

Lucius tilted his head to the side, narrowing his stormy gaze onto Harry. "Hermione, you wouldn't mind telling them, would you?" he asked her without shifting his eyes.

He kept his hand on the inside of her thigh, absentmindedly rubbing his thumb across her pale flash. She leaned forward slightly as his thumb traveled further up. "Two minutes being held underwater," her angelic voice rang out unforgivingly.

Harry let out a small gasp of disbelief but still kept his eyes trained on anywhere but her. Good. Draco knew that if he caught even the slightest glance he was going to lose it. The fucker had been in his wife's presence far too long for his comfort. Even though Hermione had said that nothing drastic had happened, he knew that Harry had had his hands all over her. It might not have been in the same way he touched her but he knew Harry had grabbed her more than once. And that is what made him so eager for the game to get under wraps.

Lucius lowered himself in his chair. "You have thirty seconds in this round to make your decision so let's begin, shall we? Neville we'll begin with you. The barrel or what is in that envelope?"

The man's shoulders slumped in defeat, hanging his head down low. "I already know what I'm choosing," he snapped in Lucius' direction.

His father let out a hoarse laugh. "Do you? That's quite interesting that it took you no time at all, do tell us what you've decided."

Neville sighed heavily. "This is basic gambling 101, you just have to look for the patterns. It's all patterns and psychology... and drowning does sound pretty bad, so I guess I have to give it to you Miss," he briefly nodded his head at Hermione. "So i'm guessing you think I'm going to chose the envelope to avoid Severus here holding me underwater for two minutes and drowning, is that it?"

Draco scrunched his brows together in confusion. What the hell was that loon going off about? It was simple- the envelope or the barrel. There was no fucking psychology or whatever the fuck he was thinking...it was really, just a simple choice. "Father do start the clock, his ramblings are going to be keeping us here all night long," he drawled, sending an irritated glare towards Neville.

"If you were facing a normal player it's exactly what you do, put something really shitty in that envelope so that all of the other players think twice," he brought his head up to stare at Lucius. "But I know you. You've looked into my past so you know all about my gambling experience," Lucius rotated the clock so that he could get a better look. Draco seriously felt that this was the longest thirty seconds of his life and he could hardly control it as his head hung in boredom. "That means you probably anticipated that I was going to figure this out…."

Lucius exhaled loudly, bringing his hand up to snap his fingers rapidly. "Come one, come one. You need to make a decision, your time is running out."

Neville slapped his hand down on the envelope. "Obviously, I am going to pick this."

Lucius shifted in his chair, grinning madly as he zoned in on Neville. "And the envelope says?"

He fumbled for a few seconds as his fingers awkwardly tore the fancy paper open. As he held the card his brows furrowed together in confusion. He shook his head, rotating the card so that he could show the others what was on it.

"What is this?" he turned towards Lucius, practically throwing it in his father's face.

Lucius leaned forward, his silver eyes scanning the small card. "Oh...you have to light off a firecracker in your hand," he shrugged. "That's it."

Neville let out a loud sigh of relief, "Thank god." He slowly turned towards Hermione, causing Draco to lean forward to fold his hands on the table, making sure that he was somewhat in front of her.

"I'm so sorry that I won't be the first one to try out your barrel," he sarcastically spoke, shooting Hermione a small fake frown. "But I would like to make it to the next round. See," he addressed the others, "gambling 101."

One of the staff pulled out his gun and pointed it at Neville from the side. The man's face contorted in confusion, lifting his hands up. "Why are you pointing a gun at my head? I'm agreeing to this!"

From the corner of the room Severus pulled something out of the shelf and advanced towards Neville. He slightly leaned forward to place the object on the table and Draco snickered as Neville's eyes widened hysterically. He gave Hermione's thigh a loving squeeze, tilting himself so that he would have a full view of what was about to happen to Neville as well as watching the emotions filter across Hermione's face. It wasn't everyday that someone got to experience their first torturous activity and he wouldn't miss hers for the world.

"What the hell is this?" Neville shrieked as he grabbed ahold of the red stick.

"You have to light it, that's what the envelope says," Lucius informed him as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"B-but t-this isn't a firecracker," Neville stuttered. "I-it's a quarter stick of dynamite!" The other guests around the table cried out in horror- Tracey was even trembling head to toe.

Lucius smirked. "Well, yes, I suppose it is. You should probably move away from the table, you're going to make an awful mess." Two of the guards roughly hoisted him up, dragging his body away from the rest of them, ignoring the oaf's pleas.

"Let it go before it goes off," Harry said in a panicked voice. "Don't hold it too tight-"

"No!" Lucius snapped his head to Harry, "He must hold it tight. In fact, Severus, secure it to his hand, if you would please!"

Pansy scooted as far as she could away from Neville, almost to the point where she was touching elbows with Hermione. If she had any discomfort she didn't show it, and if she had then he would have definitely done something about it, but he simply kept his hand firmly on her thigh.

The only sound that could be heard was the harsh panting from Neville and the tearing of duct tape that Severus was yanking apart to wrap around the man's hand.

Lucius arose from his chair and walked around the table to stand behind him and Hermione. He placed both of his hands on the back of their chairs and leaned forward in anticipation as Severus reached down onto the table to grab the lighter.

"You know, Neville," Lucius grinned, "it could be just a dud. Did you think about that? Did you consider it at all?" Both he and Hermione laughed as Lucius mocked the sobbing man. Neville's entire hand was wrapped in the grey material and there was definitely going to be some spray of discharge when the dynamite went off. "Of course we won't know that until you light the fuse."

The butler in charge slapped the lighter into Neville's other hand and briskly backed away towards the three of them. Tracey brought her hands up to cover her eyes and Harry was shaking his head desperately.

"Use the lighter!" Lucius yelled, jolting the guests in the room. "And light the fuse! Now!"

With trembling hands, Neville did as he was told. It took him a few tries to do so with only one workable hand but eventually he caught a flame and tilted it to the fuse. As soon as it sparked to life Neville held it out away from his body as far as possible. "If this is a dud, do I have to do it again?"

Lucius arched a brow, quickly sending an amused look at Draco and Hermione. "Nooo, not at all."

Neville's attention stayed glued on the stick as the fuse shorted second after second. His face scrunched in torment as the fuse shrank into body of the explosive. He sighed in relief as nothing happened for a few seconds but then-

BANG!

Everyone jumped in their seats as a vivid spray of red splashed across Neville's face and across the room. It took a while before the other guests brought their heads up and when they did they all gasped in horror.

"Oh my God!" Tracey screamed.

Draco had felt Hermione jolt at the noise as she tore her conflicted gaze away from Neville's no-longer-existing hand and towards Tracey's sobs. Instinctively, he moved his arm to rub soothingly across her back while his other squeezed her hand reassuringly. He could feel the subtle shake of her shoulders as she fought back the flood of emotions that she was overcoming.

Neville's wide eyes opened even further if it were possible and he staggered before he fell to the floor.

"Wow!" Lucius beamed. His father uncupped his ears, slowly clapping his hands in amazement. "That was loud! We're lucky we didn't break any windows."

Harry swiped at his face, scrubbing the specks of blood that were across his cheek and jacket. He was shouting in disgust, desperately trying to scrape off the red liquid.

Let's see what we have here." Lucius stepped around the table, getting a better view of Neville as his body shook amongst the floor.

"Sir," Severus piped up eagerly. "I think he's having a heart attack." Lucius crossed his arms behind his back, bending down to peer over the body. The butler crouched down to check the man's pulse. "Neville? Neville!" At no sign of anything, he straightened himself back up. "He's dead, sir."

Lucius shrugged, waving his hands in the air as if to sympathise for Neville. "Oh well. That's just part of the game...part of life, really." Two of the staff rushed forward to dispose of the body. He watched as Hermione's eyes followed after them, briefly flickering to Neville before turning her head to look at him. She gave him a tight smile and nodded her head, silently communicating with him that she was okay. He could see that there was some uncertainty in her honey orbitals but she was fighting it. She always had had a stronger mind than him. If there was something that she wanted, then by God she would make sure she got it. She fought tooth and nail for those small victories and he had no doubt that this would be just another notch on her list of accomplishments.

His father turned towards Harry and Tracey- Pansy still had her hands over her ears and she was slightly rocking her body forward and back- frowning at their troubled states. "Oh please. After everything you have all been through tonight, a little stick of dynamite is going to be the thing that breaks you?" He shook his head in disappointment. "Well, that was just the first individual to have a go. Harry, it's now your turn. So which is it? The barrel or the card? What would you rather do?"

Draco stared unblinkingly at Harry, waiting for his answer. He wanted him to pick the barrel, he really did because nothing would be more pleasurable than watching the sodding man drown at Hermione's doing. Sure it wouldn't be her holding Harry down but it would be her idea that cost the man his life, and that alone made Draco grin in anticipation.

"Two minutes held underwater…." Harry took several deep, shuddering breaths, "I don't think I can do that. I...don't think I could make it." He shook his head, slowly rotating the grey envelope in his hand. "And here I thought, Hermione-"

"Don't say her name," he snarled, feeling his blood starting to boil. Hermione's hand slid out of his as he raised himself out of his chair and circled around the table to stand in front of Harry. "You're running out of time Potter," he sneered as he laid both of his palms flat on the table, leaning forward to where he could look down at the sodding man.

Harry groaned in misery shooting one last darkened gaze at the barrel before using his fingers to rip open the seal on the envelope. Draco rotated his head with his jaw clenched at Harry's choice but whatever was on the card was bound to be bad enough...if anything it would be worse than the barrel. Neville had actually gotten one of the easier tasks so at least he knew that Harry would suffer. It's all he wanted in the end- to see Harry scream in agony and he was damn sure that he would enjoy every fucking second of it.

Harry brought the card up to his face before looking up at Lucius. His father openly gasped, his eyebrows skyrocketing into his hairline.

It was apparent that Harry was starting to panic. "What is it?" His emerald gaze kept flickering between him and his father. "W-what is it?!"

Lucius opened his arm up to the side, gesturing at Draco."This is very interesting. Son, how about you take the time to inform Harry here what exactly he has to do now, hm?" He was grinning wildly as he addressed him.. This was just too bloody good.

"I'd be happy to," Draco stared down at Harry unforgivingly. "You, Harry fucking Potter, have to slit out your eye. Just one," he added with a cruel smirk. "I would hate for you to lose both of them, so consider this an act of generosity. That being said, after the...events that you chose to partake in, that just happened to involve my wife," his voice turned sharp, slashing at the air between him and Harry like a sword made for the gods, "you should be thanking me. But you can do that last bit later,, I want to see this." He nodded his head at Severus and the butler came rushing forward to place a black leather box in front of Harry. Draco turned away and grabbed a silver mirror from the cabinet shelf on the side wall. He flung it on the table, laughing as he took in Harry's terrified expression. "You can use that if it helps."

Harry's breathing started to increase as he shook his head frantically from side to side. "No...no…"

"That's it," Lucius added, shrugging his shoulders.

Harry let out a scoff. "That's it?," he repeated incredulously. "That's it!?" He threw the card down. "No, that's not it! I can't do this…"

"Harry," Lucius shook his head at him.

Harry brought his emerald eyes to stare at his father."No, I can't do this!"

Draco turned his head to the left to send Hermione a quick eye roll at Harry's antics. He didn't really think that he would be able to get out of this, did he? He clicked his tongue, "You've made your decision, Harry. You know the rules of the game. Pick up the razor from the box."

Harry fumbled with his hands, his gaze trained on Lucius. Draco could see his silent pleas pouring from his demeanor but neither he or his father gave a damn.

"P-please…" Harry whimpered.

Lucius shook his head, his lips narrowing as he reached down to grab the clock. "I'll give you thirty seconds to do this-"

"YOU SICK FUCKS!" Harry slammed his clenched fists onto the table. "I can't! I can't do it! I can't-"

"Thirty seconds to do it or Severus will dispatch you," Lucius said in all seriousness.

Draco stepped forward. "If it makes you feel any better, you can chose whichever eye you want. It's completely up to you," he laughed.

Harry gave out a loud groan, knotting his fingers into his messy black hair.

"Go!" Lucius barked, starting the clock as he positioned it in front of Harry.

The man yelled, yanking up the mirror and razor blade at the same time. His chest was heaving violently and his hands were shaking beyond belief. His jaw was clenched as he slowly brought the razor closer to his face. His watery eyes were focused on his reflection though the mirror as the hand with razor inched closer by the second, but everyone could see how it wasn't moving any further than it was. He was stuck…

Lucius called the remaining time left. "Twenty seconds."

Harry clenched his fists, bringing the mirror and razor away from him. "FUCK!" Tears were streaking down both sides of his face and aimlessly dripping onto the table. He brought his head down to soak in his last few seconds of 20/20 vision. Severus inched closer with the gun as Harry turned to the side to face Tracey. "I can't do this," he sobbed.

"Ten seconds!" Lucius let out a humorless chuckle. "Harry, Severus will eliminate you! Five. Four. Three."

Harry jammed his elbow up on the table, using two of his fingers to pry open his eye.

"Two." Harry's teeth clenched as he inhaled deeply through his mouth.

"One-" Harry let out a gut wrenching yell as he used the blade to slash into his eye. Tracey screamed, shaking in her chair as she sobbed the man's name over and over again but she could barely be heard over Harry's agony piercing the air.

"There," Lucius opened his arms out wide, talking above the noise. "All done."

Harry kept one of his hands placed firmly against his damaged eye and continued to cry out in pain. He was thrashing around in his chair screaming without pausing to take a breath

Draco didn't bother trying to hide his sneer as he slowly walked back to his seat next to Hermione. "Wasn't that amazing," he whispered into her ear, quickly planting a kiss to the side of her neck.

She turned into his side, bringing her hands up to clutch at his. "It was...I…"

He pulled her into another kiss, not giving a damn if anyone else saw or not. "It's okay," he shushed her. "You can tell me later." She nodded her head of brown curls but he could see the way her eyes were still unfocused on the whole ordeal. He kept telling himself that she was okay, that she was still able to continue with the rest of the evening and that she would stay strong like he needed. Besides, it had been her choice. She knew perfectly well what she was getting herself involved in. Hermione could do it, that he knew. He kept a reassuring hold on her from underneath the table.

"Tracey," Lucius' cold voice drawled the attention back to the matters at hand. "Are you interested in seeing what's in your envelope?"

She brought her mascara streaked face up from the table, shaking her head from side to side. "No. ," she holstered her self up with trembling arms to walk towards the barrel.

"Ooh," Lucius nodded. "Hermione, dear, make sure you enjoy this. Apparently, Tracey here isn't the gambling type. She prefers the sure thing."

Severus lifted up the top of the barrel as Tracey got closer. The woman had an overwhelming amount of confidence in her stride and it made Draco cock a brow at her retreading back.

Lucius took a sip from the crystal glass in front of him, idly playing with the hands of the clock. "So two minutes, yes?"

Severus grabbed the back of her neck, his black eyes waiting for the signal to start from Lucius. With a quick nod of his father's pale head, Severus dragged her head down into the water.

Tick, tick, tick….

The first few seconds were quiet. Hermione was actually watching the event unfold with wide, but mesmerized eyes. The grip she had on his hand tightened as the seconds slowly ticked by.

Tick, tick, tick…

It was once the clock ticked past the quarter mark that Tracey's hands around the barrel started to grip in desperation. He could see how the woman was trying to calm herself with her body movements starting to relax.

Harry thumped his hand on the table, shaking his head as he watched Tracey get held under. It looked like he wanted to interfere but the staff were quick to send a gun in his direction to cool him down.

The clock kept ticking, ticking, ticking in silence as everyone waited for the time to stop.

Tick, tick, tick….

Just as the clock moved past the halfway mark Tracey's shoulders started to tremble. Her hands were gripping the sides of the barrel with such force that her knuckles were pale white. She started to thrash around but Severus kept his grip iron-like around the back of her neck. There was no way in hell that she was going to be getting out unless the time was up.

Tick, tick, tick….

Tracey's feet started to pound against the ground as Severus brought a second hand down to keep hold of her head. One of her hands made it's way up to the front of Severus' attire and she gripped onto his arm trying to pull herself up.

Tick, tick, tick….

The water was starting to spill from the sides as Tracey violently shook her head from side to side. From the corner of his eye, Draco saw Hermione's gaze drift down to her lap.

Tick, tick, tick….

And then Severus let go as the timer stopped.

Tracey's body tumbled from the barrel, her chest heaving as she greedily took large gulps of air.

"YES!" Harry screamed in apparent joy at Tracey's survival.

"Two minutes!" Lucius laughed in astonishment. Draco had to give it to her on this round. When Hermione had first given them the idea she had merely suggested being held under for a minute but Lucius had wanted the guests survival possibility to be close to none. Two minutes was an immensely long time to be held under water, so he had to admit that Tracey was either extremely lucky or she must've had a hell set of lungs on her. Either way it was impressing.

"Tracey," his father applauded the heaving woman, "very impressive! You know," he pointed at the large barrel. "This was designed to actually drown people! Job well done!"

"Wh-what was in her card," Harry pointed at the envelope with demanding curiosity.

Lucius shrunk back in his chair nursing the cold drink in front of him. He shrugged his shoulders, "I have no idea. Find out," he informed Harry.

Tracey slid the card away from her for Harry to pick up eagerly. He wasted no time ripping it open to show it to Lucius.

His father's eyes widened. "Oh my goodness," he swiped at his brow. "Oh my...it's a close call, Tracey. If you had chosen the card you would've had to have all of your teeth extracted! Sorry Severus, maybe next year."

The butler frowned, nodding his head in disappointment.

Lucius turned his head to the last individual. "Is Pansy ready?" The woman in black jerked her head in response but Draco could see the muscle in her jaw and neck throbbing dangerously. "Just how long can you hold your breath, Pansy?" He brought up the glass to his lips as she hastily tore at the envelope.. "How long did it take for your husband to hold your little girl while he drowned her?"

Pansy's body violently shuddered at his words, letting out a horrified gasp. She ripped the card free from the envelope and turned her head to the side as she showed Lucius.

"W-what is this?" she dropped her gaze down.

Lucius grinned. "It's another barrel, quite straightforward if you ask me- with a four in the that four stands for, ah, four minutes-"

Pansy gasped. "That's impossible-"

"Oh no," Lucius stopped her. "It is very much possible, not even close to the world record."

The lady brushed back her sweaty hair with trembling fingers. "Well...I guess. Beggars can't be choosers." She sniffed as she rose up from her chair.

Lucius watched her go, his face emotionally unattached. "I guess so. I guess so…Four minutes," he shifted back to the clock. "Whenever you're ready Severus."

Without a pause the butler shoved her face into the barrel, not giving her the chance to fully prepare herself.

"She wasn't ready!" Tracey screamed, causing Draco to scoff in amusement. She should be glad that Pansy hadn't gotten a good breath in because that meant this process would take even less time. Pansy was already a dead woman the second she opened that envelope, but now all they had to do was wait. It would take less than a minute, he was sure.

"Watch, love," he breathed into Hermione's hair. "This won't take but a few seconds. Just-"

"Hermione you can stop this!" Harry yelled at her. Draco's jaw flexed instantly snapping his furious gaze to Harry.

"What did I already tell you?" He shouted back. "Don't-"

"They'll listen to you!" Harry ignored him, still pleading towards Hermione. "You can stop all of this!"

Hermione exhaled sharply, her patience apparently waning. Her honey orbitals locked onto Harry. "And why would I do that?!" she spoke emotionless. He could practically feel his wife's vexation radiate around her like a frazzled bubble ready to pop at any moment.

Pansy started to thrash around in the barrel, her arms flinging around the sides. She hadn't even made it past thirty seconds yet.

Harry sent a panicked look towards Severus and Pansy's direction. "Please Hermione-"

"If you say her name one more time I will break your fucking jaw!" he lept up from his chair, murder screaming from his eyes. Hermione reached up to wrap her hand around his forearm and gently tugged him back down. "Draco just-" She stopped talking as the water sounds abruptly ended. Everyone turned to watch as Severus subtly shook Pansy's unmoving body before pulling her out to tumble to the floor. The butler reached down to fling her wet dark hair out of her face, jabbing his fingers on the side of her neck. Severus looked up from the woman's body, shaking his head. the

Lucius grinned, "You know at the beginning of the night I would've pegged her as the one favorable to win!" He sighed. "But I guess with things like this, you just never know."

They watched in silence as the same guards hauled her body off of the plastic mat and carried her out of sight. Draco walked to the back of Hermione's chair, leaning down over the back to place both of his arms on both sides of her. He kissed her on the top of her head as he leaned down to whisper into her ear. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

She smiled up at him, giving him his answer. She placed one of her hands on top of his and brought the other to wrap around his wrist. She leaned her head on his bicep, kissing him through the material of his jacket. Both of their heads, however, turned as Lucius faced Harry and Tracey.

He opened up his arms to them before letting them fall back down. "And then there were two."


	8. Chapter 8

"Tracey, I would like for you to move across from Harry, if you would please." Lucius sipped on his drink, staring at the woman until she got up from her place next to Harry. She nodded her head shakily before standing up to do as she was told.

His father waited until Tracey adjusted her chair as she stared ahead at Harry with teary eyes. The man was still applying as much pressure to his slashed eye but Draco could see that the swelling had taken over the entire left side of his face. It was bloody painful to look at and quite disgusting as well.

"Now, we're in the final stretch," Lucius rubbed his hands together while his eyes darted between the two. "Before we begin the final round I would like to say a few words, if I may." He gave them both an apologetic grin, sighing heavily to himself. "I know that this evening has been somewhat rather difficult, for all of us really, but it has also been one for the books. I speak not only for myself, but for Severus and his staff and the entire Malfoy family, when I say well played. Both of you. Personally, I'd be happy if either one of you won. Truley."

Draco leaned his head back to rest on the cushion, his grey eyes relaxing as the game came to an end. He just needed to give it a few more minutes before he interfered- that was if he ended up needing to. If Tracey ended up the victor then they would send the woman on her merry way while he carried Hermione up to their room to make sweet, sweet love to her before grabbing Scor so that the three of them could sleep as one happy family on the bed. He had rarely ever let Scor sleep with them but this night...well, he needed to have the comfort of both his son and wife safely tucked away in his arms. There was still a part of him that felt unhinged with the whole ordeal that happened with Hermione earlier and it was as if that momentary panic was still lodged deep in his bones. He never, ever wanted to feel that way again. It had been too painful- both physically and emotionally- and he swore that he would not let it happen again.

"Now it's time for the final round," Lucius' voice snapped him back to the moments at hand. "In all likelihood the game will end with the very first question in this round. We have found that the player who goes first has a, uh, decided advantage. Therefore, we will flip a coin. Severus, if you will please."

The butler walked forward with a glistening silver coin dangling on his fingers. He made sure to show both players each side of the coin before continuing to walk until he was next to Lucius.

"Heads will be for Harry, and tails will be for Tracey," Lucius informed the two of them. "Severus go ahead and flip the coin."

He tossed it in the air, catching as it came sailing back down. He slapped it down onto his wrist and instantly showed Lucius the result before turning to do so to Harry and Tracey.

Lucius' head turned down to stare at his lap. He frowned, sighing heavily without bringing his gaze up. "Heads it is."

From beside him, Draco felt Hermione's hands rest upon his upper thigh as she sent him a quick glance from the corner of her eyes. He could feel his blood starting to pump faster as Lucius' words sank in. He could feel a slow smile spread across his face and he didn't dare fucking hide it. It appeared that his night was going to last a little while longer than he originally thought.

"Harry you're up," Lucius slowly brought his gaze back up to the other individuals, briefly flickering to Draco's. "It's time for the final question." Lucius tilted his head from side to side, stretching out his neck due to the tension that had built at the new turn of events.

"Would you rather end the game, right now, with you and Tracey free to leave. The only problem, however, would be that you both would leave empty handed, that is. But alive." Tracey let out a breath of relief, a beaming smile beginning to form. "Or, with this dueling pistol that has a single round in its chamber," he pulled out an antique gun that had belonged in the family for numerous generations, "eliminate Tracey to claim victory and salvation for yourself."

Tracey leaned forward, swiping away the tears of joy that started to leak from her eyes. "Harry," she whispered. "It's over. We're done! We can go home." She started to laugh, wholehearted chuckles escaping her trembling lips. She momentarily glanced at the gun that Harry was aiming at her before smiling up at him. "Don't you want this to end already? We've been through so much and we watched-"

A gunshot rang out through the air.

Tracey's body jerked backwards in her chair. She grasped at her chest frantically with wide eyes as a dangerous seep of red started to engulf her top.

Lucius started laughing loudly, clapping his hands wildly in the air. Draco and Hermione smiled at each other, joining Lucius by clapping their hands together in celebration of the victor. They all ignored Harry's cries of anguish as Tracey bled out in front of him. He had shot her a few inches above the heart, and they all knew that she would only have seconds left. They each stood up clapping over and over again until Harry tightly wrapped his hands around his ears begging for them to stop.

"Bravo!" Lucius cheered at him. "Job well done! I certainly thought that you were going to walk on out of these doors but you, Harry Potter, have proven me wrong! That doesn't happen very often so for that I congratulate you! Severus, dispose of Tracey's body and bring us something to drink, if you please. I believe a little celebration is in order."

"Father," Draco warned him, watching as the toothy grin of his father slipped from perfection. Eventually it vanished completely and Lucius nodded his head solemnly, not once looking over at his son..

"Er, yes, we are not...Harry," he turned to stare at the man apologetically, frowning at the situation. "I may not have been telling the entire truth moments ago. I hate to do this to you, really I do because you have earned your freedom...but-"

"You're not done here," Draco finished for him, not once blinking his silver eyes as he stared at Harry. He stood up slowly cracking his knuckles as he clenched his fists. "But my Father, Severus, and the staff are."

Harry's confused face scrunched in agony as Lucius exhaled slowly before rising to his feet. Even Severus backed away from the table with his staff following suit. None of them said a word as they all filed out the dining room doors. It wasn't until the door slid shut that Draco rounded on him, watching as Hermione slowly started to stand up from her chair. Her wide eyes were trained on him as he shrugged off his suit jacket, giving her the signature Malfoy smirk.

"Love," he called out to her. "This is what you wanted, remember? He has to pay for what he did to you." She kept her brown gaze on him as she took a hesitant step forward.

"What are you going to do to him?"

He smirked at her, reaching out to grab her hand. "I'm sure we'll think of something together, but I want you to have a front row seat." He led her to the chair at the head of the table where Lucius had been sitting. Using one of his hands he wrapped it across her collar bones, pulling her against the back of the chair while the other was placed on the wooden arm. He leaned down to give her a wet kiss on her cheek before he sent a withering glare in Harry's direction.

He dragged himself away from her, sneering at the man in the chair. "You know," he lazily drawled, "I was rooting for you, Harry since the moment you arrived here. You looked like a hard person to crack so I was just so damn sure that you would be the victor- and look! Here you are, the winner, sitting all alive and...well, I would say pretty but you look like a swarm of bees attacked your face," he gave off a mean laugh. "You should be proud of yourself for making it through the evening, really you should. But you see…" he grimaced, "we have have a bit of a problem here. And it's entirely your fault that you aren't already walking through our doors so don't start getting pissed about the unfairness of the situation. Tonight was all about choices, and you...you sodding bastard, made one crucial mistake. I'll hand it to you though, you fought tooth and nail to win. I mean hell you fucking shot Tracey! I just...," he ran his fingers through his pale locks, sucking his teeth before bringing his stare back to Harry, "can't get over the fact that you put your Goddamn hands on my wife." His eyes hardened onto Harry's trembling form. His fists clenched and unclenched as he fought the desire to just end everything then and there. "You have done something that no other man has ever done before and I will not stand for it. Not. One. Bit," he snarled. "You put your fucking hands on my wife!" He slammed his fists down onto the table in front of Harry, yelling into his ear.

The green eyed man jerked in his chair. "I had just wanted to get out! I didn't harm her-"

Draco held up his hand. "Blah, blahblah, blahblah. All this chit chattin' is gonna get you killed! Well, I mean, either way you're going to be dying tonight but if you shut the hell up I might decide to make it less painful than it already will be."

Harry yelled in frustration, dropping his head onto the table. "P-please! I just wanted to get out! I didn't kill her! I-"

"But you could've," Draco interrupted him in all seriousness. "The second you stepped foot outside of those doors you had every chance to escape. You willingly went to my wife giving her no choice but to try and help you only because she was scared! You had a weapon and you pointed it at her! My wife! You could've chosen to keep walking or hide in some other room, but no- you found her and made sure you could get your hands on her!"

Harry brought his hands up to cover his face as he sobbed into them. His shoulders curled in on himself as his shoulders heaved in panic.

"Pathetic," Draco sneered at him, making his way to the cabinet. "First you point a weapon at a woman, then you shoot another one...did your mother ever teach you manners?" he mocked with his back towards Harry as he looked for the remaining envelopes. "Oh," he turned his head to look at Harry from over his shoulder, "that's right. She killed herself when you were what two? You must've been a real piece of work if your own mother didn't want you."

"Fuck. You!" Harry roared. "You have no right to-"

"I have every right to do whatever the fuck I want," his words sliced through the air as a brutal reminder of who exactly was in charge at the moment. He turned around with the cluster of silver envelopes in his hand. "Now that that's settled," he made his way to sit across from Harry where Tracey had been minutes ago, "you and I are going to finish the rest of the evening here until you die. It's as simple as that. So you need to pick a card," he help out the envelopes for Harry to grasp.

The man scoffed in disbelief, shaking his head back and forth. "I can't do that. I won't keep playing this sick game anymore."

Draco stayed quiet for a few seconds, smirking dangerously at Harry. He leaned forward slowly, bringing his voice down to a whisper. "Wanna bet?"

Apparently Harry could see something that was different from throughout the night on Draco's face. With mild curiosity, Draco watched as Harry visibly paled and sunk into his chair.

"Your father, James Potter lives at 394 Godric's Hollow. Your aunt and uncle, Petunia and Vernon Dursley live at 4 Privet Drive along with your cousin Dudley. You have a godson-"

"What's your point in all of this?" Harry confronted him with narrow eyes.

Draco gave him a devilish grin, cocking his head to the side. "The point is that for every minute that passes that you refuse to do the challenge, I will send my men to kill one of them. I have a list of your closest family and friends so believe me when I say that we can be here all night. Or, unless you aren't a complete heartless bastard, you'll do as I say and pick a card. You'll have thirty seconds to do each task like before, but I know that you can keep going until it's physically impossible for you to continue."

Harry's chest heaved as if he were having a panic attack. His hands were clasped together dangerously tight as fresh tears started to pour down his face. "My family has nothing to do with my choices here tonight."

Draco could only shake his head in disappointment. "But now they do. You control their fates at this very moment. So I'll ask again. Would you rather take a card or let one person on this list die? If you want I can start with your Godson. He's only a couple of years old…" he let his voice fade off as Harry yanked a card from his hands.

He smiled in victory as Harry looked down at it. "Look on the bright side- you already know that one of the cards calls for all of your teeth to be extracted so it's not like it'll be a surprise."

Harry paused his actions, scoffing in disbelief. "Why won't you just shoot me and get this all over with!?"

"You already know why I can't do that." he answered without hesitation. "Open your card Harry. Now."

The man took a deep, shuddering breath. "You can't-"

"Hermione, start the clock," he addressed her without breaking his gaze off of Harry's form. He could hear as she wound up the timer before placing it back on the table- the distinct ticking filling the room like a loud bang ready for detonation.

It was as if now Harry realized the seriousness of the situation and tore the card out of the fancy packaging without any mercy. With wide, fearful eyes he showed Draco what was displayed. It was a simple picture of a nail and hammer, nothing too extraordinary or harmful. Really it was one of the ones that Draco had hoped Harry would get so that they could do more than one round. He needed to make sure that this carried out as long as possible.

"Not bad, Harry. You managed to get one of the least harmful ones so congrats, really. How incredibly lucky." He sneered, pulling out the steel hammer and nails to slide to Harry.

Harry shook his head. "Cut to the point. Wh-what is it that I have to do?"

"You have to hammer a nail into each of your hands," he shrugged. "Like I said, nothing extreme."

"You expect me to-"

"Twenty seconds Harry," Draco cut him off wanting to waste no time. He kept his eyes trained on Harry making sure he didn't try anything foolish with the hammer. He tilted his head to the side, "I would hurry if I were you. I'd rather not have to send my men to-"

Harry screamed in absolute agony as he slammed his palm face up on the table. He had to curve it slightly in order for him to hold the nail without having to use his other hand that was holding the hammer. In a swift movement he pounded it down upon the head of the nail and he shouted out at the contact. His eyes were wide as he absorbed the pain that appeared to radiate throughout his body, bringing his hand up to cradle it towards his body. He was wailing like a lost soul, rocking his body back and forth in his chair. "Oh God! Oh my God!" he chanted over and over to himself.

Draco tisked at him, "You have another nail in front of you, Harry. Now is not the time for you to stop."

Harry's head of wild black hair bobbed in despair. He held up his wounded hand, "How can I do it again? I can't-"

"Oh, I think you can. In fact, I know you can. Especially with five seconds left."

Harry sobbed, forcing his other hand to copy what he had done earlier. As he gripped the hammer with his bloodied hand, his face crumpled in pain as the movement shifted. He let out an earsplitting roar as the second nail lodged itself inside his flesh, a dark red stream of blood leaking down his pale flesh. He stared down in horror at both of his hands with the nails sticking out like Satan's horns. It was gruesome to look at and he knew that Harry had to have been in such tremendous amounts of pain. But that had only been the first card. Draco himself didn't know how many more rounds were bound to take place, nor did he care. He just kept his silver eyes on Harry, absorbing every ounce of pain that the man inflicted on himself.

"I suppose this is the part that i'm supposed to stand up and applaud you like my Father would," he cruelly sneered, "but unlike my Father, I don't give a damn about my hospitality." He shifted his head to the side to smile passionately at Hermione. She actually looked like she was thoroughly enjoying herself with her body relaxed as she watched on. Her dark eyes were set on Harry as well and as he looked closer he could see a small sly smile on her lips. Oh yes, she was very much enjoying this.

"Chop, chop, Harry. Take the next card," he held out the envelopes again for the man to reach for one. "If you're lucky then you'll get something that will hurry up and put you out of your misery...or should I have said unlucky? Either way, take your pick."

Harry tried to move his hands as little as possible but he sucked in the air through his teeth as the nails shifted with the muscles. He slowly pulled out the envelope, studying it with such precision that Draco figured he was trying to decide if this would finally be the card to end it all or just continue to make him suffer. After appearing to have gone through every possibility he held it out for Draco to see.

He had actually openly cringed when he saw what it was. It was going to be horrific to watch but it wasn't as if he was going to turn away. After all, Harry's voice always did grate on his nerves.

But now, well, it wouldn't be a problem any longer.

"Harry, Harry, Harry," he tisked, "I thought you wanted this to get done with- not have to do the worst thing in the fucking deck." His head tilted back as laughter spilled from his mouth, a result of watching Harry's face morph into terror. "You have to swallow an entire cup full of shards made from glass-"

Harry's head dropped onto the table, a pathetic whimper filling the air that made Draco want to slap the man for being so weak. So disgustingly weak. He got up from the table to fetch the pre-prepared glass that was stowed in the cabinet. It wasn't anything huge- just a small whiskey glass that anyone would use. But inside of it was chunks of glass that had been poorly crushed up for the guest that happened to possibly get the card. The shards glistened dangerously when the light reflected off of its surface as he slid the cup across the table.

"Make sure you grind it down before you swallow. I'm sure it would be beyond painful for you to bleed out from the inside out. But, as always, it's solely up to you," he grinned at the green eyed man. "Bon Appetit."

Harry's wounded hands slowly dragged the glass towards him, his eyes downcast in humiliation. His mouth opened and closed as if he were debating whether or not to say something. He sighed, shifting his emerald orbitals to Hermione. "I'm-"

"Don't say one damn thing to her," he snapped, his fingers flexed in anticipation.

Harry shook his head in desperation, "No, please, it's...I just want to apologize. Please…" he kept his gaze on Hermione.

Draco's eyes narrowed. What was this guy playing at? Whatever it was he wasn't going to have any of it, not at all.

"As if I would-" He stopped as he felt Hermione's arm softly grasp ahold of his forearm. She appeared apprehensive towards Harry, but she slowly nodded her head for him to continue. He immediately settled back down but he stayed verbally ready to intervene in case Harry went overboard.

Harry licked at his dry lips before opening his mouth to speak. "I...wish tonight never happened. I know that it's in the past but...everything still happened and…" he sighed heavily about to run his fingers through his hair but paused halfway as he caught sight of the metal protruding from the palms. "I'm sorry for what I did earlier. I should've never done what I did...but you must understand that I was trying to get out. For fuck's sake I watched as someone got whipped to death! Two people got shot before my very eyes! An old man was stabbed," he choked out. "I just wanted to get out! I just...needed to leave. And I hope you forgive me for that."

Draco watched Hermione closely as none of Harry's words fazed her. She stayed stoic, keeping her unforgiving eyes glued on Harry. He scoffed, "As admirable as that was, I still couldn't care less about your pathetic arse. Hermione, love, start the timer."

Harry quickly grabbed ahold a of one of the thicker pieces. "There's no need to do that," he whispered before taking the shard and slicing it across his wrist. He had done the movement uncharacteristically fast and Draco had to grin in astonishment. It truly did take a broken person to effectively do something as bold as Harry had just done without pausing or hesitating even once.

Harry looked down in panic at his wrist that was gushing heavily, pooling across the tabletop in what looked like a giant puddle that was growing by each millisecond that passed. He brought up his other hand to try to grip the wound but it wouldn't do any good- all three of them knew it. It would take a trained doctor to manage to successfully sew up a slash that deep.

Draco leaned forward, placing his palms flat on the table. He pushed the glass even closer to Harry's paling body. "Do it again, to the other one," he nodded his head towards Harry's uninjured wrist. "You'll bleed out faster."

Harry gave off a light chuckle, sounding more airy due to his conscience fading at the speed of light. "B-but is-isn't this wh-at you want? You w-want to s-see me in pain, d-don't you?"

"But you're not in pain, are you Harry?" he tilted his head to the side as Harry's head lunged back on the cushion of the chair. "This is probably the best that you've felt in a long time, right?" He stood up from the chair, rounding the table to wrap his arms around Hermione. She melted into his touch, turning her head to the side to press into his arm. She reached up to pull his head down towards hers, planting a searing kiss on his lips.

"I gave you what you wanted," he breathed against her lips as they attacked each other with desperation. "You wanted to see this, right, love?"

She hummed into his mouth before a gasping noise from Harry caused both of their heads to turn back to the dying man only a few feet away from them.

"The….m-money...my dad needs...it," he tried to say but at this point he was fading faster than he was bleeding. It would be less than a minute at this rate.

But Draco wasn't as cruel as Harry probably intended he was. Harry had technically won and what else were they going to do with the three hundred grand that they kept aside for each year? He didn't want to keep it and it wasn't as if they needed it...hell, he had cars that were valued nearly three times that amount.

He sighed, "Yes, we'll delivery the money to your father first thing in the morning. My Father is probably upstairs already making the phone calls to get him his new set of lungs. Cystic fibrosis is a deadly disease but a new set of lungs should give him at least another twenty years to go." Harry's head dropped forward, his black hair hanging in front of his eyes that were slowly starting to close. "You played well, Harry," he drawled out, "Of course you liked to play the hero but you need to remember that when money is involved there are no such things as friends. Those people were out to cut your throat and you kept trying to keep everyone together. It was adorable, especially with that psychopath Pansy- the poor thing. If you had read her file today would've been nothing compared to what she's been through. But it's not like any of it matters anymore…not even you." Harry's eyes were starting to dilate and soon he was staring off into space as if in a trance. Together he and Hermione stayed watching him for several long seconds until they heard the very distinct puff of his last breath leave his lips. Harry's body slacked in the chair and Draco sneered at the corpse.

Finally.

He grabbed a hold of Hermione's hands as he lifted her from the chair. She wrapped both of her arms around his neck, boosting herself up to kiss him across his neck and face. She was in such a...good mood that Draco was quick to take advantage of the situation by grabbing her legs to secure them around his waist.

"That wasn't so bad, right?" he whispered into her neck as he licked his way down the opening of her blouse.

Her fingers raked through his pale locks as she arched into him. "Are you kidding me?" she gently laughed in his arms. "That was one of the most enticing," she grinded herself against him, "moments I've ever seen. I can't believe he actually tried to apologize."

He rested his forehead against hers, laughing at her words. "I know. But I was so sure that he wasn't going to shoot Tracey. I mean, I swear, it was like they were married."

She pulled back from him, her elegant brows scrunch in amusement. "So if that had been us, you would've let me shoot you?"

His grip tightened on her, pulling her flesh against him. In truth, he would have put his life down on the line before she would ever get the chance to do so for him. She knew that already though, he was sure of it. It was his job to protect her not the other way around.

He playfully nipped at her lips, "I guess the only way to find out would be if we were ever in a situation like that and we both know that we never will be, love."

"I guess so," she shot a quick glance at Harry's deceased body before smothering him again with her sweet kisses.

"Does this mean you'll join us for the entire dinner next year?"

Her head tilted back to give him more access to her throat. "Oh yes," she groaned into the air. She sat back up against him, using both of her hands to grip the sides of his face. "And the next year," she pecked his lips, "and the next," another kiss, "and the next until I get sick of it."

He soared at her words, already trying to imagine the torturous activities that they would be holding next year. He could feel his blood starting to rush in more than one direction and all he could do was bury himself in her hold. Despite everything that had happened, everything he had done, she was still here with him wanting to be part of it. He desperately needed to get the two of them to their bedroom so that he could ravish her from head to toe to show her his love that was demanding attention.

Without breaking away from her kisses, he held onto her as he made his way to the door. As he did, he barely sent the two guards a glance as he commanded them to get rid of the body.

The last thing that filled the air was Hermione's gentle laughter as he took to the hallway that led to their side of the house- not once looking back towards the dining room or even thinking where Harry's body was going to be taken.

As always, he just simply didn't give a damn about those nobodies that where nothing but filth that belonged on the bottom of his shoe...or in this case, at the bottom of a body bag. He had more important matters at hand like pleasing his wife and crossing his fingers for the possibility of his second born.

Because after all, family meant the most to the Malfoy's and nothing would ever tear them apart- especially not one night out of the year that they watched the life fade from their guests eyes.


End file.
